Friday brought relief to Dalal Street investors as the Indian stock market clawed back from recent setbacks, closing firmly in positive territory after overcoming early weakness. The revival was spearheaded by PSU banking and metal stocks, which provided crucial support.
The benchmark BSE Sensex added 316.57 points (0.38%) to end at 82,814.71. NSE’s Nifty rallied 116.90 points (0.46%) to 25,571.25, with most sectoral indices reflecting gains except the beleaguered IT sector.
Even as US-Iran tensions cast a shadow over Asian bourses, Indian equities showed tenacity. Broader markets were mixed: Nifty Midcap 100 up 0.48%, Smallcap 100 down 0.11%.
Leading the pack, Nifty PSU Bank soared 1.68%, Nifty Metal 1.25%. Other bright spots included Nifty Auto (0.41%), FMCG (0.56%), and Bank (0.71%). Nifty IT dropped 0.98%, dragging the sector lower.
In the Sensex pack, 22 stocks rose while 8 fell. Top winners NTPC, L&T, HUL, Tata Steel, Power Grid, and BEL climbed as much as 2.7%. Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Eternal, HCL Tech, and Bharti Airtel were the notable decliners.
This positive close signals stabilizing forces at play, with banking and industrial heavyweights paving the way for potential upward trajectory next week.