Sensex conquers Mt 60k, ends 163 pts higher; Nifty closes above 17,850

Realty stocks, which are seeing structural tailwinds, continued to be in demand. Auto and IT names also saw buying. Metal and FMCG stocks were under selling pressure.

The 30-share pack Sensex added 163.11 points or 0.27 per cent to close at 60,048.47. The index closed above the 60,000 level for the first time. Its broader peer NSE Nifty advanced 30.25 points or 0.17 per cent to 17,853.20.

“We continue to remain positive on the long-term outlook of Indian equities. On the revenue front, the listed universe is on firm ground with an accelerated trend of unorganized to organized, digital super-cycle and sustained cost management. With accommodative financial conditions worldwide, we see the mega rally in risk assets continuing,” said Amar Ambani, Senior President & Head of Institutional Equities at YES Securities.

Market at a glance:

• Aurionpro Solutions gains on expanding footprint in the payment business
• Ircon International jumps 3 per cent on bagging solar power plant order
• Dilip Buildcon rises 3 per cent after SC confirms Pachwara Central Coal Block deal
• Voda Idea extends gain on +ve commentary, adds over 8 per cent
• Debut trade: Sansera Engineering gains 10 per cent over issue price

Among the bluechip names, Asian Paints was the top gainer, rising 3.74 per cent. Eicher Motors, M&M, HCL Tech, Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, Maruti Suzuki and Grasim Industries were other gainers.

Tata Steel was the top loser in the Nifty pack, falling 3.92 per cent. JSW Steel, SBI, Divi’s Labs, Shree Cement, Axis Bank, ITC, NTPC and ONGC were others that ended in the red.

Broader market indices ended mixed, but underperformed their headline peers. Nifty Smallcap rose 0.12 per cent and Nifty Midcap declined 0.78 per cent. Nifty 500, the broadest index on NSE, ended down 0.09 per cent.

KEI Industries, Kajaria Ceramics, Blue Star, Vodafone Idea, Tata Chemicals and Aditya Birla Fashion Retail were top gainers from mid and smallcap indices, climbing in the range of 2-10 per cent.

Dr Lal Pathlabs, Alembic Pharma, Apollo Tyres, Bajaj Electricals, Sterling Wilson Solar and PVR were major losers from broader market space, falling in the range of 3-4 per cent.

The sectoral matrix on the NSE was mixed. Nifty Realty continued its rally, rising another 1.50 per cent. Nifty Auto and Nifty Financial Services were other major gainers. Nifty Metal was the biggest loser, down over 2 per cent. Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty FMCG also declined.

Market breadth was in favour of losers as 1,330 stocks ended in the green, while 1,937 names settled with cuts. As many as 244 securities hit 52-week highs, mostly from the smallcap space. Meanwhile, 20 names hit 52-week lows, mostly from the microcap space. About 285 stocks hit upper circuit limits and 170 lower circuit limits.

European markets were trading lower. London-based FTSE was down 0.39 per cent while Paris and Frankfurt declined 1.09 per cent and 0.83 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and South Korea ended in the red. Rest of the markets registered gains.