Indian equities ended Monday's session modestly higher, as selective gains in Power, Capital Goods and Public Sector Undertakings stocks pushed headline indices into positive territory.
At the National Stock Exchange close, the Nifty 50 was up 0.05%, reaching a new one-month high. The BSE Sensex 30 also finished in positive territory, climbing 0.03%.
The session's top performers on the Nifty 50 included Trent Ltd (NSE:TREN), which advanced 3.11% or 127.60 points to close at 4,235.30. Steelmaker JSW Steel Ltd (NSE:JSTL) rose 2.80% or 34.70 points to finish at 1,275.00, and State Bank Of India (NSE:SBI) gained 2.20% or 23.75 points to end at 1,104.00.
On the downside, Jio Financial Services Ltd (NSE:JIOF) slid 2.98% or 7.26 points to 236.60 at the close. Hindalco Industries Ltd. (NSE:HALC) retreated 2.44% or 25.40 points to finish at 1,013.60, and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd (NSE:TAMO) declined 1.53% or 5.50 points to 354.60.
Movements on the BSE Sensex 30 echoed several NSE trends. State Bank Of India (BO:SBI) was among the biggest gainers on the Sensex, rising 2.35% to 1,105.70. Asian Paints Ltd. (BO:ASPN) climbed 2.04% to settle at 2,513.60 and NTPC Ltd (BO:NTPC) added 0.90% to close at 397.20.
The weakest names on the Sensex included Larsen & Toubro Ltd (BO:LART), which was down 1.34% to 4,040.00 in late trade. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd (BO:TAMO) lost 1.24% to settle at 355.70, and Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. (BO:KTKM) declined 1.20% to 378.90 at the close.
Market breadth was negative across both principal exchanges. On the India National Stock Exchange, falling issues outnumbered advancing ones by 1,669 to 876, with 45 stocks ending unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,433 stocks declined while 1,689 rose and 169 finished flat.
NTPC Ltd (BO:NTPC) hit 52-week highs during the session, rising 0.90% or 3.55 to 397.20.
Volatility moved higher as the India VIX, which measures implied volatility in Nifty 50 options, rose 10.49% to 19.01.
Commodities markets showed divergent moves: Gold Futures for June delivery fell 1.27% or 62.20 to $4,817.40 a troy ounce. Energy prices climbed, with Crude oil for June delivery up 5.69% or 4.70 to $87.29 a barrel, and the June Brent contract rising 4.78% or 4.32 to trade at $94.70 a barrel.
Foreign exchange markets recorded modest shifts. USD/INR increased 0.36% to 92.93, while EUR/INR rose 0.58% to 109.57. The US Dollar Index Futures was higher by 0.16% at 98.05.
In sum, the session closed with marginal gains for headline indexes supported by select sector strength, offset by broader weakness across listed stocks and a noticeable uptick in implied volatility.