Sensex Ends 115 Points Higher, Nifty Above 23,200; UltraTech Cement Jumps 6% – News18
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Benchmark indices, Nifty50 and Sensex, were seen trading lower in early trade, tracking mixed cues.
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After a cautious start, benchmark equity indices showed a positive trend on Thursday, buoyed by strong buying in auto, IT, cement, and select healthcare stocks.
The BSE Sensex initially dipped to a low of 76,202 but quickly rebounded, rallying to a high of 76,743—up 543 points from the day’s low. The index ended the day at 76,520, up 115 points from the previous session.
The NSE Nifty 50 fluctuated between a high of 23,271 and a low of 23,091 before closing 50 points higher at 23,205.
Among the top performers in the Sensex 30, UltraTech Cement surged nearly 7% to ₹11,400 after reporting better-than-expected Q3 results, which also boosted other cement stocks.
Other notable gainers included Zomato (up 2.5%), Sun Pharma, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tech Mahindra, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, and Titan. On the downside, HCL Technologies, Power Grid Corporation, Kotak Bank, Reliance Industries, and SBI saw declines of over 1%.
In the broader market, the BSE MidCap index rose 1.8%, while the SmallCap index gained 0.7%. MidCap IT stocks, such as Coforge and Persistent Systems, were among the top movers, rising over 10% each.
Sectorally, the auto, IT, healthcare, and consumer durables indices saw gains ranging from 1-2%, while banking-related indices remained subdued.
The overall market breadth was slightly positive, with over 2,100 stocks advancing compared to around 1,800 declining on the BSE.
Global Cues
Asian markets traded mixed on Thursday as investors reacted to various economic data from the region. In Australia, the ASX 200 fell 0.42%, while Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.5%, and the Topix gained 0.42%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.96%, following a report showing the country’s economy grew by just 1.2% YoY in Q4, its slowest pace since Q2 2023. However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 0.75%, and China’s CSI 300 rose 1% at the open.
In Singapore, inflation data for December is expected soon, and the Bank of Japan is holding a policy meeting today and tomorrow, with Governor Kazuo Ueda hinting at a potential rate hike.
Overnight, the US stock market saw strong performance, with the S&P 500 hitting a fresh all-time high. The index rose 0.61%, reaching an intraday record of 6,100.81 before closing slightly lower at 6,086.37. The Nasdaq Composite surged 1.28% to 20,009.34, driven by gains in tech stocks like Oracle and Nvidia, fueled by optimism around artificial intelligence (AI). The Dow Jones Industrial Average also saw a modest gain, rising 130.92 points, or 0.3%, to close at 44,156.73.
Investors are now awaiting US Jobless claims data for the week ending January 18.
