New Delhi, August 13 (HS): Indian equity markets ended on a strong note Wednesday, lifted by firm global cues, with both benchmark indices posting healthy gains after a choppy trading session. The rally added an impressive ₹2.21 lakh crore to investor wealth as bulls took charge in the latter half of the day.
The Sensex closed 304.32 points or 0.38% higher at 80,539.91, while the Nifty 50 climbed 131.95 points or 0.54% to settle at 24,619.35. The day began on a positive footing, with the Sensex opening at 80,492.17. After a brief dip to 80,319 in early trade, buying momentum accelerated, driving the index to an intraday high of 80,683.74 before mild profit booking trimmed gains.
Sector-wise, strong accumulation was seen in pharmaceuticals, metals, and auto stocks, alongside strength in media, realty, infrastructure, IT, capital goods, consumer durables, public sector enterprises, and tech. Conversely, PSU banks, FMCG, oil & gas, and energy stocks faced selling pressure. The broader market also ended firm, with the BSE Midcap Index up 0.56% and the Smallcap Index advancing 0.58%.
On the BSE, 2,230 stocks gained, 1,861 declined, and 155 closed unchanged out of 4,246 actively traded counters. On the NSE, 1,560 stocks ended in the green versus 1,149 in the red. Among Sensex constituents, 21 ended higher while 9 closed lower; Nifty saw 38 gainers against 12 losers.
Top performers were Apollo Hospitals (+7.90%), Hindalco Industries (+5.01%), Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (+2.71%), Hero MotoCorp (+2.66%), and Cipla (+2.59%). Top laggards included IndusInd Bank (-1.23%), Adani Ports (-0.82%), Titan (-0.57%), ITC (-0.54%), and UltraTech Cement (-0.39%).
The sharp upmove pushed the market capitalization of BSE-listed companies to a provisional ₹445.51 lakh crore, up from ₹443.30 lakh crore in the previous session — translating into a paper gain of over ₹2.21 lakh crore for investors.
Analysts said the uptrend was underpinned by upbeat global market sentiment, sector-specific buying, and expectations of continued momentum in the near term, though intermittent profit-taking is likely as indices hover near record highs.
—————
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
