HDFC Bank, Infosys help Sensex settle 259 pts higher, Nifty ends at 11,605

All that happened in the markets today

The domestic stock market ended in the positive territory for the second straight day on Wednesday, thanks to buying in blue-chip counters such as HDFC Bank, Infosys, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), and ICICI Bank.  

The S&P BSE Sensex gained 258.5 points or 0.66 per cent to settle at 39,303 levels while the Nifty50 index surpassed the 11,600-mark to end at 11,605, up 83 points, or 0.72 per cent. India VIX fell nearly 5 per cent to 19.6 levels. 

M&M (up over 4 per cent) ended as the top Sensex gainer, followed by Bajaj Auto (up 3.4 per cent). On the other hand, IndusInd Bank (down nearly 2 per cent) was the biggest loser.

Shares of Dr. Reddy's ended over 4 per cent higher at Rs 4,631.55 on the BSE after the company said it has agreed to cooperate with Russia’s sovereign wealth fund RDIF on clinical trials and distribution of Sputnik V vaccine in India. Upon regulatory approval in India, RDIF shall supply to Dr. Reddy’s 100 million doses of the vaccine. READ MORE

The trend among Nifty sectoral indices was largely positive. The Nifty Pharma index gained over 2 per cent while the Nifty Auto ended over 1.5 per cent higher at 8,156 levels. Nifty Realty index also ended over 2 per cent higher at 226 levels.  

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index ended 0.21 per cent higher at 15,046 levels while the S&P BSE SmallCap index settled at 15,431, up 0.44 per cent. 

Global markets

European shares were mixed at the opening, but then rose, with the Stoxx 600 up around 0.3 per cent, pushed up by gains in retail stocks.

The MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 49 countries, was up 0.2 per cent at the time of writing of this report, while MSCI’s main European Index was up 0.3 per cent.

In commodities, oil rose for a second day on Wednesday, gaining more than 2 per cent, as a hurricane closed US offshore oil and gas production and an industry report showed US crude inventories decreased.

(With inputs from Reuters)

4:13 PM

MARKET COMMENT | Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services

"Benchmark indices ended the day with gains, with most sectoral indices contributing to the gains. However, the continued border tensions and unabated virus infections limited the gains. Global cues were also positive as participants awaited policy statements from the US FOMC meeting. Any indication of increased bond-buying will be a positive trigger for the markets. Markets are expected to be in sync with global cues tomorrow. Upsides seem to be limited, considering the lack of fresh domestic triggers for the market"

3:43 PM

SECTOR WATCH | Nifty Pharma index gains over 2%

3:42 PM

MARKET AT CLOSE | Gainers and losers on the S&P BSE Sensex

3:36 PM

CLOSING BELL

The S&P BSE Sensex ended 258.5 points, or 0.66 per cent higher at 39,303 levels while NSE's Nifty ended at 11,604.5, up 83 points, or 0.72 per cent.

3:25 PM

MARKET CHECK

3:16 PM

INDEX GAINER | HDFC Bank up over 2%

3:10 PM

Russia ropes in Dr Reddy's to sell 100 mn Covid-19 vaccine doses; stk up 4%

Shares of Dr Reddy jumped up to 4.4 per cent to Rs 4,639 on the BSE on Wednesday after the firm said it has been roped-in by Russia-based Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to distribute 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in India. READ MORE

3:00 PM

Heatmap: S&P BSE Sensex gainers and losers at this hour

2:56 PM

MARKET CHECK:: Top 5 losers on the BSE at this hour

2:46 PM

JB Chemicals rallies 19% in two days on strong June quarter numbers

Shares of JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals (JB Chemicals) moved higher by 10 per cent to Rs 985 on Wednesday, thereby surging 19 per cent in the past two trading days after the company reported strong earnings driven by growth in exports, API, and chronic therapies in the domestic market, along with lower sales and marketing costs during the lockdown. READ MORE 

2:39 PM

NEWS ALERT | RDIF- Dr Reddy's tie up to manufacture Sputnik V vaccine for India: Report

2:37 PM

Revenues of Indian airlines fell 85.7% in April-June due to Covid-19: Puri

The revenue of Indian airlines fell by 85.7 per cent to Rs 3,651 crore during the first quarter of 2020-21 in comparison to the corresponding period a year ago due to COVID-19, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday.

 

Moreover, employee count at the Indian carriers went down from 74,887 on March 31 to 69,589 on July 31, a decrease of 7.07 per cent, Puri stated in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha. READ MORE

2:28 PM

INDEX LOSER | NTPC drops over 1.5%

2:21 PM

P&G Health declines 6% on profit booking post June quarter results

Shares of Procter & Gamble (P&G) Health slipped 6 per cent to Rs 5,330 on the BSE in the intra-day trade on Wednesday on profit booking. The company reported 10.8 per cent year on year (YoY) growth in net profit at Rs 48.90 crore for June quarter. READ MORE

2:15 PM

NEWS ALERT :: Russia based-RDIF likely to supply 10 cr Covid-19 vaccine doses to India, reports Reuters