Volatile Trade Ends Flat Sensex Falls 114 Pts Nifty Steady

Thursday brought volatility to Dalal Street, with Indian stocks closing flat despite early lifts from US-Iran ceasefire buzz. Benchmarks climbed at the start but slid back, mirroring global caution. BSE Sensex ended down 114 points (0.15%) at 77,844.52. Nifty 50 slipped 4.30 points (0.02%) to 24,326.65. Sensex's day: open 78,339.24, high 78,384.70, low 77,713.21. Nifty: open 24,398.50, high 24,482.10, low 24,284. Smaller stocks led gains – Nifty Midcap 100 +1.10%, Smallcap 100 +0.87% – outpacing frontline indices. Laggards: consumer durables, IT, FMCG, PSU banks. Winners: auto, realty, private banks, metals, media, healthcare. Nifty 50 gainers like HDFC Life, Bajaj Auto, M&M, Grasim, NTPC, Apollo Hospitals, Hindalco, Kotak Bank, ONGC rose 1-3.5%. Shares of HUL, TCS, Titan, Tech Mahindra, ITC, Sun Pharma, Coal India declined. Investor wealth grew by 2 lakh crore, pushing BSE market cap to 475 lakh crore from 473 lakh crore. Analysts note Nifty's 24,400-24,500 resistance zone. Sustained move above eyes 24,600. Support at 24,100-24,000. Watch Gulf headlines: Iran's stance on US proposals, Hormuz reopening odds will sway sentiment. Oil prices plunged – Brent at $99.92/barrel (-2.32%). Rupee gained 15 paise to hover near 94.24/USD, boosted by positive US-Iran vibes.