New Delhi, May 2 (HS): On Friday, the domestic stock market witnessed significant volatility, starting with gains driven by buyer activity. The Sensex notably surpassed the 81,000 points threshold at a peak of 81,177.93 points, marking an increase of 935.69 points within the first hour of trading. However, due to increased selling pressure, the index subsequently dropped over 1,000 points, hitting a low of 80,168.59 points shortly after noon, leading to a decline of 73.65 points at that moment. By the end of the day, the Sensex managed to recover, closing up 259.75 points at 80,501.99 points, a 0.32 percent increase.
Similarly, the Nifty index opened slightly lower at 24,311.90 points but experienced an initial surge to 24,589.15 points before selling sets in. Despite falling nearly 300 points, it rebounded to end the day with a modest gain of 12.50 points, closing at 24,346.70 points, corresponding to a 0.05 percent increase.
Throughout the trading day, various sectors experienced divergent performances. Notably, shares in the pharmaceuticals, metals, and real estate sectors faced heavy selling, while IT, oil and gas, media, and banking sectors closed positively. The broader market did not fare well either, with the BSE mid-cap index down 0.41 percent and the small-cap index down 0.07 percent. Overall, investors’ wealth decreased by approximately ₹60,000 crores, with the BSE’s total market capitalization dropping to ₹422.65 lakh crores down from ₹423.24 lakh crores.
In total, 4,085 stocks were actively traded on the BSE, with 1,761 gaining and 2,183 losing value, while 141 remained unchanged. NSE activity mirrored this trend, with 2,534 stocks being traded—1,047 gained, 1,487 lost, and some shares in both indices registered mixed results.
Among the day’s notable movers were blue-chip stocks such as Adani Ports and Bajaj Finance, which posted the highest gains of 4.16 percent and 2.64 percent, respectively. Conversely, stocks like JSW Steel and Bajaj Auto led the losses, with drops of 5.50 percent and 2.41 percent. Overall, the market exhibited a day marked by dramatic price movements, reflecting investor uncertainty amid profit-taking behavior.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
