MUMBAI, India — India’s benchmark equity indices finished nearly unchanged on Thursday, giving up early gains as investors booked profits in major IT and auto stocks ahead of Friday’s Bihar election results.
The Sensex closed at 84,478.67, up just 12.16 points, or 0.01 percent. The index opened higher at 84,525.89 following a three-day rally but turned volatile during the session, erasing much of its early momentum. The Nifty also ended flat at 25,879.15, up 3.35 points.
“National equities closed flat after a positive session, as profit-booking erased early gains despite optimistic global and domestic cues,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. He noted that sentiment was supported by President Donald Trump signing a stopgap funding bill to end the U.S. government shutdown and expectations of tariff relief for India.
Record-low inflation numbers for October further strengthened expectations of an upcoming rate cut from the Reserve Bank of India, making sectors such as real estate and metals more attractive to investors, Nair added.
Among Sensex components, ICICI Bank, PowerGrid, L&T, Bharti Airtel, Sun Pharma, and Maruti Suzuki were among the top gainers. Decliners included Tata Motors (both commercial and passenger vehicle divisions), Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Steel, BEL, Trent, TCS, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, and Bajaj FinServ.
Sectoral performance was mixed. Nifty Financial Services rose 58 points (0.22 percent), while Nifty Bank gained 107 points (0.18 percent). Nifty Auto slipped 102 points (0.37 percent), Nifty IT fell 175 points (0.48 percent), and Nifty FMCG dropped 285 points (0.51 percent).
Broader markets saw selling pressure as small- and mid-cap indices retreated. Nifty Small Cap 100 declined 66 points (0.37 percent), Nifty Midcap 100 fell 210 points (0.35 percent), and Nifty 100 ended flat.
The rupee traded in a narrow range near 88.67, with traders cautious ahead of the Bihar results and awaiting key U.S. CPI data expected to influence dollar index movements. Jateen Trivedi of LKP Securities said the rupee is likely to remain range-bound between 88.40 and 88.95 in the absence of major market triggers. (Source: IANS)
