Mumbai— Indian stock markets ended the week on a high note, with key benchmark indices posting strong gains on Friday, driven by positive domestic macroeconomic indicators and robust buying across IT, FMCG, banking, and financial sectors.
The BSE Sensex surged 769.09 points, or 0.95%, to close at 81,721.08. The index traded between an intraday high of 81,905.17 and a low of 80,897.00. Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty climbed 243.45 points, or 0.99%, to settle at 24,853.15.
“The Nifty rebounded after finding support at the 21-day exponential moving average. The index seems to be consolidating in the 24,700–25,000 range,” said Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities. He added that the short-term outlook remains positive, with momentum expected to pick up if the index breaks above 25,000.
Markets recovered nearly half of their losses from earlier in the week, supported by gains in defensive sectors like FMCG and IT. Investor sentiment was further boosted by expectations of a record dividend payout from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which could aid fiscal consolidation.
Broader market indices also reflected bullish sentiment. The Nifty Midcap 100 gained 0.64%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 rose 0.80%, indicating widespread buying interest.
On the Sensex, all but one stock ended in the green. Sun Pharma was the sole laggard, falling 2.14% after reporting a decline in net profit for the fourth quarter.
Top performers included Power Grid, ITC, Bajaj Finserv, Nestle India, and NTPC, which posted gains ranging from 1.83% to 3.6%.
Among sectoral indices, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Private Bank led the charge with gains of 1.63% and 1.08%, respectively. Other sectors including IT, financial services, metals, PSU banks, oil and gas, and real estate also ended in positive territory, with gains of up to 0.95%.
However, not all sectors shared in the rally. Nifty Pharma slipped 0.41%, and the Healthcare index edged down 0.01%, making them the only sectoral indices to close in the red.
Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, noted that investor confidence was reinforced by ongoing US-India trade negotiations and the strength of India’s domestic economic fundamentals. (Source: IANS)
