New Delhi, September 12 (HS): Domestic equity markets closed on a strong note for the fifth consecutive session on Friday, with both Sensex and Nifty posting solid gains. The Nifty index also recorded its eighth straight day of rally, while the overall market closed at a three-week high.

Trading began on a positive note, though early selling pressure briefly pushed both indices lower. However, sustained buying interest soon lifted the benchmarks, which gained momentum through the session. By the close, the Sensex was up 355.97 points or 0.44% at 81,904.70, while the Nifty advanced 108.50 points or 0.43% to finish at 25,114.

Sectoral Performance

-Strong buying was witnessed in metals, defence, and public sector enterprises, while banking, IT, automobile, capital goods, pharmaceuticals, and technology indices also ended higher.

-On the downside, consumer durables, oil & gas, and FMCG sectors saw selling pressure.

-In the broader market, BSE Midcap gained 0.09% and Smallcap rose 0.27%.

Market Capitalisation Surge

The rally boosted investor wealth significantly. The market capitalization of BSE-listed companies rose to ₹458.73 lakh crore (provisional), compared to ₹457.18 lakh crore on Thursday. This translated into a net addition of about ₹1.55 lakh crore to investors’ portfolios in a single session.

Market Breadth

-On the BSE, 4,289 shares were actively traded, with 2,061 advancing, 2,082 declining, and 146 remaining unchanged. On the NSE, out of 2,787 actively traded shares, 1,446 closed higher and 1,341 ended in losses.

-Out of the Sensex’s 30 stocks, 18 advanced while 12 declined.

-Among Nifty’s 50 constituents, 26 closed in the green and 24 ended in the red.

Intraday Highlights

The Sensex, which opened at 81,758.95, dipped to 81,641.38 during early trade but later surged to an intraday high of 81,992.85 before settling slightly lower at 81,904.70.

The Nifty opened higher at 25,074.45, slipped briefly to 25,038.05, then touched 25,139.45 before closing at 25,114.

Top Gainers and Losers

Top Gainers: Bharat Electronics (+3.67%), Bajaj Finance (+3.40%), Bajaj Finserv (+2.14%), Hindalco Industries (+2.07%), and Shriram Finance (+2.06%).

Top Losers: Hindustan Unilever (−1.58%), Eicher Motors (−2.04%), Bajaj Auto (−1.25%), IndusInd Bank (−1.08%), and Trent (−0.79%).

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar