Indian equity indices ended higher on Wednesday, buoyed by positive global market trends. The Sensex rose by 149.85 points, or 0.19 percent, closing at 79,105.88. Meanwhile, the Nifty increased slightly by 4.75 points, ending at 24,143.75.
Despite these gains, midcap and smallcap stocks faced selling pressure. Specifically, the Nifty Midcap 100 index dropped by 334.45 points, or 0.59 percent, to 56,547.05. Similarly, the Nifty Smallcap 100 index fell by 116.15 points, or 0.64 percent, to 18,087.50.
Among NSE indices, IT, the service sector, and consumption sectors performed well. Conversely, sectors like PSU Bank, pharma, FMCG, metal, and realty lagged behind.
Also Read: Indian Equity Markets Open Positively Despite Midcap & Smallcap Pressure
On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), 2,408 shares ended in the red, 1,511 shares closed in the green, and 117 shares remained unchanged.
Vikram Kasat, Head of Advisory at Prabhudas Lilladher, noted that the market sentiment was generally muted. Gains in the IT sector supported the overall performance, but the metals sector experienced significant declines. He added that the Supreme Court’s recent decision, which allows states to recover past tax dues from April 2005 without interest, negatively impacts the metals sector. This ruling could also affect cement companies and may contribute to rising inflation, potentially delaying rate cuts.
The volatility index, INDIA VIX, decreased by 4.40 percent, settling at 15.46, indicating reduced market volatility. In the Sensex, TCS, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, M&M, Wipro, and Bharti Airtel emerged as top gainers. On the other hand, UltraTech Cement, JSW Steel, Tata Steel, Power Grid, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, and ICICI Bank were the top losers.
Overall, while global markets showed a positive turn, domestic sentiment remained cautious. Investors are wary of potential earnings downgrades and weak domestic indicators.
