The Indian equities market wrapped up Wednesday with slim but positive closes, driven by strength in metals and autos amid choppy trading. Sensex closed at 82,276.07, up a marginal 50.15 points (0.06%), while Nifty ended at 25,482.50, adding 57.85 points (0.23%).
Volatility defined the day: IT-driven opening highs saw Sensex touch 82,957.91, only for large-cap selling to cap gains. Key supports came from Nifty Metal’s 2.70% surge and 1.85% rises in Nifty Auto and Pharma.
Additional winners: Healthcare +1.59%, IT +1.57%, India Manufacturing +1.35%, Defence +0.93%, Commodities +0.75%. Laggards comprised PSU Banks -0.39%, Infra -0.30%, FMCG -0.25%, Realty -0.19%.
Mid and smallcaps extended the upbeat mood, with Midcap 100 up 339.75 points (0.58%) to 59,406.10 and Smallcap 100 ahead 160.05 points (0.94%) at 17,118.70. In Sensex, standouts included HCL Tech, Tata Steel, TCS, Indigo, Sun Pharma, M&M, Maruti Suzuki, Axis, ICICI Bank, Infosys, BEL, L&T, Tech Mahindra, Titan, NTPC, Power Grid, HUL, UltraTech Cement. Decliners: SBI, Eternal, Bharti Airtel, ITC, Kotak Mahindra, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Trent.
Foreign investors’ pivot is noteworthy. FIIs sold Rs 102.53 crore Tuesday but bought Rs 3,483.70 crore Monday, indicating thawing hesitancy. Such dynamics may foster stability, provided macroeconomic factors align.