Market Wrap, Aug 2: Sensex ends 100 pts up, Nifty below 11,000

Fresh trade war concerns between the United States and China weighed down investors' sentiment on Friday leading to a sluggish trade through the day. The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex and the broader Nifty50 plummted 411 points and 131 points respectively during the intra-day trade before staging a smart recovery during the last trading hour.

Indices inched higher on reports that the PMO took stock of the steep sell-off being witnessed in the market since the presentation of the Union Budget 2019-20. Reports suggested that PMO met officials from the Finance Ministry on Thursday to discuss concerns raised by the FPIs and even considered proposals submitted by them.

The Sensex closed at 37,118 level, up 100 points, or 0.27 per cent with Bharti Airtel, Asian Paints, Bajaj Auto, and Maruti being the top gainers. On the other hand, Tata Steel, SBI, Vedanta, and ONGC ended the day with steep losses. The broader Nifty50 failed to hold the psychological 11,000-mark to end at 10,997, up 17 points, or 0.16 per cent. 

In the broader markets, S&P BSE Mid-cap closed at 13,547 level, up 20 points, or 0.15 per cent while the S&P BSE Small-cap settled 55 points, or 0.44 per cent, lower at 12,496 level.

Sectorally, metals slipped the most as risks to global economy increased after US President Donald Trump imposed fresh tariffs Chinese imports. The index dipped 2.16 per cent at close, followed by Nifty PSU Bank, down 1.12 per cent. Among the gainers, Nifty Auto index ended 1.26 per cent higher, followed by Nifty IT index, which gained 0.57 per cent on the back of weaker rupee. 

State Bank of India (SBI), on Friday, was back in the black and reported a net profit of Rs 2,312 crore for the June quarter of 2019-20 (Q1FY20) on the back of healthy growth in advances and stable asset quality. The bank had reported a net loss of Rs 4,875.9 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal (Q1FY19) and a PAT of Rs 838.4 in the March 2019 quarter (Q4FY19).

Shares of Bharti Airtel climbed 5 per cent to Rs 339 apiece in Friday's early morning trade on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in an otherwise weak market after the telecom operator reported an improved margin and industry-best average revenue per user (ARPU) for the June quarter (Q1FY20).