Late recovery helps Sensex close in green; IT, bank shares up

Image
Press Trust of India Mumbai
Last Updated : Aug 23 2016 | 4:42 PM IST
Bouncing back towards the fag-end of the session in an otherwise choppy trade, the benchmark BSE Sensex today closed nearly 5 points higher at 27,990.21 with gains in IT, PSU and banking stocks, tracking a higher opening in the European markets.
However, a mixed trend on Asian bourses amid investors awaiting cues on whether the Federal Reserve would raise US interest rates this year kept investors edgy.
Besides, a cautious approach by participants ahead of the August-month expiry in the derivatives segment on Thursday too influenced the domestic trading sentiment.
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services Ltd, said, "Market remains range-bound with a positive bias due to a slight recovery in European markets. On the other hand, global market is shifting its focus to the possibility of a rate hike in the US by December 2016, which will cast a shadow on the domestic market."
He further said, "The domestic market is losing its trend to rate sensitive stocks post the announcement of the new RBI governor who is likely to maintain a cautious stance on interest rate cut."
The 30-share Sensex after a higher opening at 28,012.56, quickly slipped into the negative zone as profit-booking emerged and touched a low of 27,854.43.
However, on emergence of buying in the last half-an-hour of trading, it bounced back to wipe out early losses and settled 4.67 points, or 0.02 per cent, higher at 27,990.21.
The gauge had lost nearly 138 points in the previous two sessions.
Also, the NSE Nifty ended 3.45 points, or 0.04 per cent, higher at 8,632.60 after moving in a range of 8,642.15 to 8,580.00.
In the domestic market, 20 stocks in the 30-share Sensex
pack ended higher, while the remaining 10 closed lower.
Short-covering of positions -- speculators buying stocks that have been sold short to steer clear of losses -- in view of tomorrow's November monthly derivatives contract expiry added to the upward move.
The BSE Mid-Cap and Small-cap indices rose by 1.22 per cent and 1.54 per cent, respectively.
Lupin was the top gainer from the Sensex pack, rising by 5.22 per cent, followed by Asian Paints (3.87 per cent), Tata Steel (3.80 per cent), NTPC (2.63 per cent), L&T (2.16 per cent), Axis Bank (1.94 per cent), Sun Pharma (1.64 per cent), Tata Motors (1.40 per cent), HUL (1.31 per cent), Adani Ports (1.15 per cent) and TCS (1.05 per cent).
However, M&M fell by 2.02 per cent, HDFC 1.72 per cent, Bharti Airtel 1.22 per cent, Power Grid 1.22 per cent and HDFC Bank 1.04 per cent.
Among the S&P BSE sectoral indices, realty rose 3.41 per cent, followed by metal (2.32 per cent), healthcare (2.19 per cent), capital goods (1.30 per cent), consumer durables (1.26 per cent), utilities (1.19 per cent) and industrials (1.17 per cent).
Market breadth remained positive as 1,922 stocks ended higher, 665 finished in red while 165 ruled steady.
The total turnover on BSE rose to Rs 2,499.34 crore from Rs 2,306.61 crore yesterday.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 23 2016 | 4:42 PM IST

Next Story