Sensex falls 664pts from day's high, ends 49pts down; RIL up 2%, autos dip

CLOSING BELL: The Nifty IT index was the only gainer, up 0.45 per cent

CLOSING BELL

Stock market highlights: A firm trading session witnessed an anti-climatic end with almost all the sectors giving up their gains. The Nifty Auto index was the worst hit as it shed around 1.8 per cent, while the Nifty Bank, Metal, PSU/Private Banks, and Realty indices fell up to 1 per cent each. The Nifty IT index was the only gainer, up 0.45 per cent.

Overall, the BSE Sensex index fell 664 points from the day's high to close at 55,769, down 49 points or 0.09 per cent. The Nifty50, too, shut shop at 16,584, down 44 points or 0.26 per cent. It hit an intra-day high of 16,794.

In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices fell 1.45 per cent and 1.16 per cent, respectively.

Buzzing stocks

Shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) gained 3 per cent to Rs 2,816.35 on the BSE in Friday's intra-day trade, having rallied 7 per cent in the past two trading days amid heavy volumes. RIL has seen addition of Rs 1.25 trillion in its total market capitalisation of Rs 19.05 trillion during this period. READ MORE

Shares of cement companies were under pressure as they fell up to 9 per cent on the BSE on Friday in an otherwise firm market. The fall comes after the sector major UltraTech approved a new capital expenditure (capex) plan of Rs 12,886 crore to tide increased competition in the sector. Ramco Cement, ACC, Nuvoco Vistas, and Grasim were the top laggards. READ MORE

4:10 PM

Technical view: Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities

Nifty erased the opening gains as the benchmark index ended more than 200 points off the day's high. The trend for the short term, however, remains bullish. On the lower end support is placed at 16400. On the higher end, 16700 may continue to act as crucial resistance on a sustained basis. A close above 16700 may induce a rally towards higher levels.

4:08 PM

Market view: Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services

The late sell-off indicates the lack of confidence in the domestic market driven by the concerns over Central Bank policy. While in the global market, the investors were waiting for the release of US job data. The RBI is expected to hike rates by 25bps to 35bps and the Fed by 50bps, but the outlook & changes in the economic growth and inflation will determine the market trend. If the central banks decide on a stringent policy tightening, the market mood can swing bearish.

4:06 PM

Mixed trade for European markets

4:04 PM

US equity futures trade on a slippery ground ahead of jobs data

4:02 PM

CURRENCY CHECK: Rupee closes 3 paise lower against US dollar

4:00 PM

Closing bell: Over 1,900 stocks declined whereas 1,366 advanced

3:55 PM

Closing bell: JK Cement, Dalmia Bharat among stocks that hit 52-week low

3:53 PM

Closing bell: Kohinoor Foods, Ratnamani Metals hit fresh 52-week high

3:50 PM

Closing bell: Grasim, Ultratech Cement, Shree Cement top Nifty50 losers

3:48 PM

Closing bell: RIL, Infosys, L&T top Nifty50 gainers

3:45 PM

Closing bell: Barring Nifty IT, all sectors drown in red

3:37 PM

Closing bell: Broader markets tepid; India Vix slips 1%

3:35 PM

Closing bell: Only 10 out of 30 Sensex stocks sizzle in green

3:33 PM

Closing bell: Sensex erases 600-point surge and closes flat

3:32 PM

Closing bell: Nifty50 wipes off gains, closes below 16,600 levels