Indian shares ended Thursday with a split tape as pockets of strength supported the headline Nifty while losses in consumer-facing and healthcare stocks held the Sensex marginally lower.
At the close on the National Stock Exchange, the Nifty 50 finished up 0.06%. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, the broader Sensex 30 was down 0.03%.
Top movers on the Nifty
The day’s largest gains on the Nifty 50 were logged by IndusInd Bank Ltd. (NSE:INBK), which climbed 3.00% - a 28.15 point rise - to finish at 965.50. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd (NSE:TAMO) added 2.93%, or 11.20 points, closing at 393.05. Eicher Motors Ltd. (NSE:EICH) rose 2.70%, or 216.00 points, to settle at 8,224.00 by the close.
Lagging names
Among decliners on the Nifty, Trent Ltd (NSE:TREN) fell 1.56% or 61.00 points to 3,861.00 at the close. Eternal Ltd (NSE:ETEA) was down 1.40% - a 3.50 point drop - to 246.70, while Tata Consumer Products Ltd (NSE:TACN) lost 1.31% or 15.30 points to end at 1,157.00.
Sensex winners and losers
The top performers on the BSE Sensex 30 reflected similar strength in bank and auto names. IndusInd Bank Ltd. (BO:INBK) rose 2.98% to 965.10. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd (BO:TAMO) gained 2.91% to close at 393.05, and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (BO:SUN) added 1.34% to finish at 1,787.50.
On the downside at the BSE, Eternal Ltd (BO:ETEA) fell 1.30% to 247.00 in late trade. HDFC Bank Ltd (BO:HDBK) declined 1.29% to 896.00, while Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (BO:PGRD) was down 0.99% to 304.15 at the close.
Market internals
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the NSE by 1309 to 1187, with 58 names unchanged. On the BSE, 2027 issues rose, 1946 declined and 143 were unchanged, signaling a modestly positive breadth on both principal exchanges.
Notable milestones
Eicher Motors Ltd. (NSE:EICH) reached an all-time high in the session, rising 2.70% or 216.00 points to 8,224.00.
Volatility, commodities and currency moves
The India VIX, which tracks implied volatility on Nifty 50 options, eased 3.43% to 13.02 by the close.
In commodities, Gold Futures for April delivery were down 0.61% or 31.91 to $5,194.29 a troy ounce. Crude oil for April delivery fell 1.53% or 1.00 to $64.42 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract slid 1.29% or 0.91 to trade at $69.78 a barrel.
On the foreign exchange front, USD/INR rose 0.06% to 90.93, while EUR/INR edged down 0.08% to 107.26. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.07% at 97.69.
The session showed a mixture of sectoral performance with gains concentrated in Oil & Gas, Capital Goods and Autos and weakness in Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Healthcare and Consumer Durables. Overall, market moves were incremental rather than directional, leaving major indices largely unchanged through the close.