After a choppy session through the trading day, Indian stock markets wrapped up the week on a positive note. The Sensex ended the day at 80,501.99, up 0.32%, after briefly surging nearly 900 points earlier in the session. The Nifty 50 also finished in the green at 24,346.70, gaining 0.05%. Meanwhile, the Nifty Bank closed at 55,115.35, marking a rise of 0.05%..
Volatility was evident through the day, and India VIX, the market’s fear gauge, ended at 18.26, up 0.19%.
Here are five key highlights from Friday’s market session:
Key gainers and losers
The top gainers in the Nifty pack include Adani Ports , Bajaj Finance, IndusInd bank, SBI, and Hindalco. On the flip side, the keyt laggards were JSW Steel, Bajaj Auto, Eicher Motor, HDFC Life and Hero MotoCorp.
Manufacturing activity
The HSBC India Manufacturing PMI rose to 58.2 in April 2025 from 58.1 in March, marking the highest expansion in the last 10 months. The improvement was led by strong demand, both domestic and international. Production grew at its fastest pace since June 2024.
IT stocks paints a mixed picture
The Nifty IT index saw modest gains, supported by select outperformers. Top gainers included Persistent Systems, Coforge, and HCL Tech. On the flip side, Tech Mahindra, TCS, and Oracle Financial Services saw mild losses.
Banking giants support the rally
Banking stocks played a major role in pushing indices higher. Heavyweights like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and Axis Bank posted strong intraday gains. The Nifty Bank index rose over 1% during the session, continuing its bullish trend from March and April, when it climbed nearly 7%.
Rupee strengthens against the dollar
The Indian rupee broke past the 84 per dollar mark for the first time since October 2024.