Finance
Benchmark indices snapped their three-day losing run and settled 0.8 per cent higher on Friday. Investors heaved a sigh of relief as the Reserve Bank of India decided to keep the interest rates unchanged and maintainee ‘accommodative’ stance despite liquidity unwinding by global central banks.
The RBI also announced revised inflation and GDP growth forecasts in-line with market expectations. Yields on 10-year bonds, however, hit multi-year high of 7.075, inching up 2.3 per cent.
Againt this backdrop, the S&P BSE Sensex climbed 571 points from the day’s low to end at 59,447, up 412 points against Thursday’s close. The NSE Nifty, too, advanced 145 points to settle at 17,784 in a broad-based rally. Both the indices had hit intra-day highs of 59,654 and 17,843, respectively.
The broader BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices rose in tandem with the frontline indices and closed 0.9 per cent higher each.
Among individual stocks, ITC ended as the top gainer as it advanced 4.7 per cent on the Sensex index. The stock of the cigarettes to fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) major has rallied 24 per cent in the past six week.
That apart, Dr Reddy’s Labs, M&M, Tata Steel, Titan, Reliance Industries, Asian Paints, Nestle India, and IndusInd Bank were the other gainers, rising upwards of 1.5 per cent each.
On the downside, only Tech M, NTPC, Maruti Suzuki, Sun Pharma, and HCL Tech were the laggards, down up to 1.2 per cent.
Sectorally, the Nifty Metal index was the biggest gainer, rising 2 per cent. Meanwhile, the Nifty IT index ended wee bit in the red.
