Indian benchmark indices ended on a largely muted note on Thursday after a volatile trading session, with gains in information technology and consumer-focused stocks offset by weakness in banking and realty shares.
The Sensex finished marginally higher at 77,186.87, gaining 1.44 points, while the Nifty slipped 5.75 points, or 0.02 per cent, to close at 24,072.75. Market breadth remained weak, with 1,947 shares advancing against 2,119 declines, while 194 stocks ended unchanged.
The session witnessed mixed stock-specific action as investors remained selective across sectors. InterGlobe Aviation emerged as the top gainer among major stocks, rising 1.8 per cent. Wipro and Bajaj Finance each advanced 1.7 per cent and 1.6 per cent, respectively. HCL Technologies also gained 1.6 per cent, while Maruti Suzuki climbed 1.4 per cent.
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On the losing side, Eternal was the worst-performing major stock, declining 2.8 per cent. SBI Life Insurance fell 2.3 per cent, while Bharat Electronics slipped 0.9 per cent. HDFC Bank and Shriram Finance both declined 0.8 per cent.
Sectoral performance remained mixed, reflecting the cautious mood in the broader market. The Nifty Consumer Durables index emerged as the best performer, gaining 1.5 per cent. It was followed by Nifty Media, which rose 1 per cent, while Nifty IT advanced 0.7 per cent. Nifty Auto gained 0.4 per cent and Nifty FMCG ended 0.25 per cent higher.
Realty stocks came under pressure, with Nifty Realty emerging as the worst-performing sectoral index after falling 1 per cent. Nifty PSU Bank declined 0.5 per cent, while Nifty Metal, Nifty Private Bank and Nifty Bank each shed 0.3 per cent.
The broader market underperformed the headline indices during the session. The Nifty Midcap 100 declined 0.4 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 ended largely unchanged. Overall, the market remained range-bound as investors weighed sector-specific buying against continued pressure in banking and realty counters. The near-flat close reflected the lack of a clear directional trend despite active trading and significant movement in individual stocks.
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