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Weekly Wrap: Earnings Optimism And Short-Lived Record High

The S&P BSE Sensex scaled a fresh record high this week. 

A trader is reflected in a monitor on the trading floor. (Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg)
A trader is reflected in a monitor on the trading floor. (Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg)

The S&P BSE Sensex scaled a fresh record high this week. But that was short-lived.

The 31-share index rose 2.83 percent this week to end at 40,165.03 and the NSE Nifty 50 rose 2.65 percent to close at 11,890.60. The benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange surpassed its previous record of 40,312 on Thursday to hit 40,392.22.

Besides, on Wednesday, the S&P BSE Sensex’s 50-day moving average surpassed the 200-day moving average, forming a golden cross. The pattern had earlier occurred on Jan 18, 2019.

Weekly Wrap: Earnings Optimism And Short-Lived Record High

“The week was much decisive on the back of positive global cues and the earnings from a few companies that boosted the sentiment,” Epic Research’s Chief Executive Officer Mustafa Nadeem said in an emailed statement. One-to-two sectors, however, witnessed profit-booking, he said.

The government reviewing the long-term capital gains tax and dividend distribution tax to attract a large chunk of foreign investors in the equity market also had a positive impact, he said.

Foreign investors pumped in Rs 11,103.95 crore into India’s equity market between Tuesday to Thursday, according to data available on National Securities Depository Ltd. Overseas investors poured in Rs 533.37 crore on Friday, according to the provisional data available on the National Stock Exchange.

Meanwhile, domestic investors sold Rs 828.35 crore worth of equity shares this week.

Nadeem expects public sector companies, metals and auto stocks to outperform in the coming week. “The buying momentum that has picked up in the mid and small caps, which added almost 5-7 percent in the last month, is expected to continue to perform,” he said.

All the 11 sectoral gauges compiled by NSE ended higher, led by the NSE Nifty Media Index’s 11.1 percent gain.

How The Broader Market Performed

The broader market represented by the NSE Nifty 500 Index advanced nearly 3 percent this week, led by the rally in ITD Cementation Ltd., Tata Motors Ltd. and Dish TV India Ltd.

How The Asian Currencies Performed This Week

The Indian rupee ended higher for the second consecutive week. The home currency appreciated 0.1 percent during the period to end at 70.81.

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