Indian equity benchmarks closed the week in positive territory on Friday, with the Sensex and Nifty posting modest gains after trimming a large part of their intraday rally. Investor sentiment improved alongside global markets amid growing optimism over a possible peace agreement between Iran and the United States.
On Friday, the BSE Sensex settled 232 points higher at 75,415, while the NSE Nifty 50 climbed around 65 points to close at 23,719. During the session, the Sensex had surged to an intraday high of 75,811, and the Nifty touched 23,836 before profit-booking erased part of the gains.
For the week, the Sensex advanced nearly 200 points, while the Nifty gained about 76 points. The rally added more than Rs 2.4 lakh crore to the overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms, taking the total valuation to around Rs 463 lakh crore.
Banking And Consumption Stocks Drive Market Rally
Buying interest remained concentrated in private banks and consumption-linked counters. Shares of Trent, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finserv and Hindustan Unilever gained between 1 per cent and 3 per cent, emerging as the top performers on the Sensex.
On the other hand, Sun Pharma, ITC, Power Grid, Bharat Electronics and Bharti Airtel ended lower by as much as 3 per cent.
Sectorally, Nifty Private Bank and Nifty Financial Services indices rose more than 1 per cent, helping benchmarks stay in the green. However, weakness in pharma and healthcare shares capped broader gains, with Nifty Pharma and Nifty Healthcare indices declining over 1 per cent.
Broader markets delivered a mixed performance. The Nifty Smallcap 100 index closed marginally lower, while the Nifty Midcap 100 index managed slight gains.
Volatility Persists Despite Positive Global Signals
Market volatility remained elevated even as investor confidence improved. India VIX, often referred to as the fear gauge, edged slightly higher to 17.91.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
