New Delhi, July 23 (H.S.): The domestic stock market experienced a strong close on Wednesday, buoyed by positive global signals and a decline in the volatility index. The trading day began with gains; however, there was selling pressure in the first half-hour. Before 10 AM, buyers emerged, propelling the Sensex and Nifty indices upward. By the end of trading, the Sensex rose by 0.66 percent, while the Nifty increased by 0.63 percent. Significant buying was observed in the automobile, pharmaceutical, and banking sectors, while the realty, FMCG, and capital goods sectors faced selling pressure. The broader market remained robust, with the BSE midcap index up 0.24 percent and the smallcap index up 0.05 percent. Overall, investor wealth increased by approximately ₹2 lakh crore, raising the market capitalization of BSE-listed companies to ₹460.43 lakh crore, up from ₹458.45 lakh crore from the previous day.

During trading, 4,198 shares were active on the BSE, with 1,997 shares closing higher and 2,034 lower, while 167 shares remained unchanged. On the NSE, 2,649 shares were active, with 1,313 in the green and 1,336 in the red. Out of the 30 Sensex shares, 23 closed higher and 7 lower, while 38 of the 50 Nifty shares ended in the green and 12 in the red.

The BSE Sensex opened at 82,451.87 points, up 265.06 points, but faced early selling that pushed it down to 82,279.73 points. Buyers then drove the index to 82,786.43 points before a last-minute sell-off saw it settle at 82,726.64 points, up 539.83 points. The Nifty opened at 25,139.35 points, also experiencing a dip before recovering to close at 25,219.90 points, up 159 points. Tata Motors and Shriram Finance emerged as the top gainers, while Tata Consumer Products and Hindustan Unilever were among the top losers.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar