Market close overview
India's major stock indices finished the session in positive territory, led by strength in the Metals, Auto and Technology sectors. At the National Stock Exchange close, the Nifty 50 ended up 0.23%. The BSE Sensex 30 finished the trading day higher as well, gaining 0.06%.
Top and bottom performers on the Nifty
Among individual Nifty 50 constituents, Hero MotoCorp Ltd (NSE:HROM) was the best performer, rising 4.16% - an increase of 229.00 points to close at 5,740.00. Bajaj Auto Ltd (NSE:BAJA) also advanced, adding 2.74% or 269.50 points to finish at 10,098.50. Technology heavyweight HCL Technologies Ltd (NSE:HCLT) gained 2.61%, up 34.90 points to end the session at 1,374.10.
On the downside, State Bank Of India (NSE:SBI) led decliners among Nifty members, slipping 1.96% or 24.00 points to close at 1,199.30. Reliance Industries Ltd (NSE:RELI) fell 1.95% or 27.90 points to settle at 1,400.90, while Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (NSE:APSE) declined 1.70% or 26.40 points to end at 1,529.00.
Sensex movers
HCL Technologies Ltd (BO:HCLT) was also among the strongest on the BSE Sensex 30, finishing up 2.73% at 1,376.00. Tata Steel Ltd (BO:TISC) climbed 2.46% to close at 214.30, and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (BO:TCS) rose 2.16% to finish at 2,630.00.
Conversely, Reliance Industries Ltd (BO:RELI) was the weakest on the Sensex, down 2.01% to 1,401.40. State Bank Of India (BO:SBI) lost 1.97%, closing at 1,199.80, and Adani Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd (BO:APSE) slipped 1.64% to end at 1,529.70.
Market breadth and notable stock milestones
On the National Stock Exchange, decliners narrowly outnumbered advancers by 1,258 to 1,251, with 51 stocks unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,060 shares fell, 1,908 advanced and 157 finished unchanged.
Two notable price milestones were recorded: shares of Bajaj Auto Ltd (NSE:BAJA) rose to a 52-week high, increasing 2.74% to 10,098.50. Tata Steel Ltd (BO:TISC) rose to an all-time high, advancing 2.46% or 5.15 to close at 214.30.
Volatility, commodities and currencies
The India VIX, which measures implied volatility of Nifty 50 options, fell 4.86% to 13.46, reflecting lower expected near-term swings in the index. In commodities, Gold Futures for April delivery were up 0.34% or 17.71 to 5,194.01 a troy ounce. Crude oil prices also moved higher: April WTI rose 0.46% or 0.30 to 65.93 a barrel, while the May Brent contract increased 0.51% or 0.36 to trade at 70.94 a barrel.
Currency pairs showed small changes against the rupee. USD/INR was up 0.04% to 90.94, and EUR/INR rose 0.12% to 107.16. The US Dollar Index Futures ticked up 0.05% to 97.82.
Closing perspective
Overall, the session was characterized by selective strength across autos, metals and technology names, offset by weakness among several large-cap names in banking, energy and ports. Volatility measures eased and commodity prices posted modest gains as currencies showed only minor movement against the rupee.
Note: All percentage and point changes reflect end-of-day levels reported at market close.