After an energetic seven-day rally, the Indian markets hit the brakes on Thursday. Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended the day in the red. At close, the Sensex settled at 79,801.43, down 315.06 points or 0.39%, while the Nifty ended at 24,246.70, falling by 82.25 points or 0.34%. The Nifty Bank also remained subdued, closing at 55,201.40, down 0.30%. Meanwhile, India VIX, the volatility index, climbed 1.81%.
Let’s take a look at the 6 key highlights from today’s trade:
IndusInd Bank leads the gainers
Among the Nifty 50 stocks, IndusInd Bank emerged as the top performer, ending nearly 3% higher. It was followed by UltraTech Cement, up close to 2%. Other notable gainers included Dr. Reddy’s Labs, Cipla, Tata Motors, and Tata Consumer Products.
HUL drags as top laggard
Hindustan Unilever took a beating, falling around 4%, and led the pack of laggards. Bharti Airtel, Eicher Motors, ICICI Bank, ONGC, and Adani Enterprises also ended in the red, dragging down the broader indices.
Market breadth: Almost even split
The day saw 2,923 stocks being traded on the NSE. Of these, 1,407 advanced, while 1,423 declined. Around 93 stocks remained unchanged.
52-Week highs: Bulls still active
A total of 52 stocks hit fresh 52-week highs today. Big names on the list included AstraZeneca, Bajaj Finserv, and Bajaj Finance, among others.
Lows too: Gensol hits the bottom
On the other hand, 13 stocks touched their 52-week lows, including Gensol Engineering, which continues its downward slide, now trading near Rs 94 per share.
Upper and lower circuit action
Market momentum was also visible in stocks hitting circuit limits – 114 stocks were locked in the upper circuit, while 37 stocks hit the lower circuit during the session.
Rupee ends 15 paise higher against dollar
The Indian rupee snapped its losing streak and edged higher on Thursday, settling at 85.27 against the US dollar, a gain of 15 paise from Wednesday’s close of 85.42.