Summary: Indian stocks finished the trading session in positive territory Wednesday, with the Nifty 50 up 0.66% and the BSE Sensex increasing 0.60%. Strength in Capital Goods, Oil & Gas and Public Sector Undertakings lifted a large number of names, while volatility as measured by the India VIX moderated.
At the close on the National Stock Exchange, the Nifty 50 registered a 0.66% advance. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Sensex 30 rose 0.60% by the end of trading.
The leading gains on the Nifty 50 were concentrated among defence, energy and mining-related names. Bharat Electronics Ltd (NSE:BAJE) led the session, jumping 8.98% - a rise of 37.35 points - to finish at 453.30. Oil And Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (NSE:ONGC) added 8.18%, or 20.29 points, closing at 268.24. Coal India Ltd (NSE:COAL) climbed 5.26%, up 22.25 points to end the day at 445.15.
In contrast, several consumer and industrial stocks moved lower. Tata Consumer Products Ltd (NSE:TACN) recorded the steepest decline on the Nifty 50, falling 4.55% or 54.00 points to settle at 1,133.40. Asian Paints Ltd. (NSE:ASPN) dropped 4.22%, losing 110.80 points to close at 2,512.00. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (NSE:MRTI) was down 2.45%, a fall of 374.00 points to finish at 14,871.00.
On the BSE Sensex 30, the top performers included Eternal Ltd (BO:ETEA), which rose 5.23% to 266.80, Bajaj Finance Ltd (BO:BJFN), up 2.28% to 935.90, and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (BO:PGRD), which gained 1.97% to close at 259.40.
The weakest performers on the Sensex were led by Asian Paints Ltd. (BO:ASPN), which fell 4.26% to 2,513.10, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (BO:MRTI), which lost 2.43% to 14,871.00, and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (BO:SUN), down 1.80% to 1,609.85 at the close.
Market breadth at the National Stock Exchange favoured advancers, with 1,914 rising issues against 587 decliners and 34 unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,771 stocks advanced, 1,240 declined, and 129 finished unchanged.
Certain individual stocks reached notable milestones during the session. Shares of Bharat Electronics Ltd (NSE:BAJE) climbed to all-time highs, gaining 8.98% or 37.35 points to reach 453.30. Oil And Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (NSE:ONGC) and Coal India Ltd (NSE:COAL) both rose to 52-week highs, with ONGC gaining 8.18% or 20.29 points to 268.24 and Coal India up 5.26% or 22.25 points to 445.15.
Volatility in Nifty 50 options eased: the India VIX fell 6.97% to 13.44 by the close of trade.
Commodities and currencies showed mixed moves. Gold Futures for April delivery rose 3.70%, gaining 189.24 to trade at $5,309.84 a troy ounce. In energy markets, Crude oil for March delivery declined 0.34% or 0.21 to $62.18 a barrel, while the April Brent contract fell 0.53% or 0.35 to $66.24 a barrel.
In currency pairs, USD/INR moved up 0.37% to 91.79. EUR/INR traded down 0.19% to 109.92. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.02% at 96.03.
Context notes: The session displayed broad participation across sectors, with Capital Goods, Oil & Gas and Public Sector Undertakings providing notable strength. Consumer-facing and some industrial names underperformed. Volatility metrics and commodity price changes accompanied the equity moves.