MARKET COMMENT :: Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services
Market continued the range bound movement due to F&O expiry, while mid & small cap outperformed as investors believe that border tensions will not continue for long. Additionally, focus is likely to shift to economic data and possibility of pre-election rally while FIIs inflow is picking up and rupee is gaining strength
3:51 PM
Sectoral trend on NSE
3:50 PM
Top gainers and losers on S&P BSE Sensex at close
3:32 PM
Market at close
The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 35,867, down 38 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,792, down 14.20 points.
3:24 PM
Sugar stocks extend rally; Uttam, Dhampur Sugar gain over 50% in one month
Shares of sugar companies such as Uttam Sugar Mills, DCM Shriram Industries, Dalmia Bharat Sugar and Industries, Avadh Sugar & Energy, Dwarikesh Sugar Industries, Mawana Sugars and Ugar Sugar Works rallied up to 16 per cent on Thursday in the intra-day trade on the back of positive development in the sector. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 0.20 per cent at 35,977 levels at 02:51 pm. READ MORE
Board approves raising market borrowing programme under debt segments to Rs 85,000 crore. The interim dividend will be paid/dispatched on March 19.
2:48 PM
OIL MARKET :: Jy Lim, director of Asia-Pacific oil market analysis, S&P Global Platts
Heavier maintenance program is to be expected this year, which will affect refinery throughput. This, coupled with robust domestic demand (expected to grow at 235 MB/D for the year as a whole), would likely pull India’s total oil product exports below the 1.2 MMB/D mark this year for the first time since 2010
2:39 PM
Weak demand, intense competition may dent Hero MotoCorp's margins
A muted wedding season, coupled with increasing competitive intensity and market share loss, is expected to weigh on Hero MotoCorp’s sales and margins. India’s largest two-wheeler maker is expected to report a 13 per cent year-on-year fall in volumes this month, the highest decline as compared to peers.
Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor are expected to register sales growth of three to 15 per cent. After weak sales in the December quarter and in January, retail sales (barring South India) continues to fall, by 8 to 10 per cent, believes Motilal Oswal Securities. READ MORE
Odisha Cement slips 6% on illegal transfer of MF units worth Rs 344 crore
Shares of Dalmia Bharat Group company Odisha Cement slipped 6 per cent to Rs 1,141 apiece on the BSE in intra-day trade on Thursday, after the company informed regulators about the illegal transfer of mutual fund units worth Rs 344 crore by a Depository Participant (DP). READ MORE
Lok Sabha election uncertainty to keep India's stock markets jittery: Poll
How Indian shares fare this year will depend heavily on the outcome of national elections in May, with market experts polled by Reuters saying a majority win for the ruling party would be the most favourable outcome for equities. Since hitting a record high of 38,989.65 on Aug. 29, the BSE Sensex index has fallen roughly 8 percent. This year, it is down about 0.3 percent, as there has not been the kind of recovery from late 2018’s deep equities sell-off that other major stock indexes have had. READ MORE
Benchmark indices ended lower on Wednesday amid India-Pakistan tensions and F&O contracts expiry for the February series.
The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 35,867, down 38 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 10,792, down 14.20 points.
Among the sectoral indices, the Nifty IT index ended 1.1 per cent lower with Wipro, TCS and HCL Tech being the top losers. The Nifty Auto index, too, settled lower led by a fall in Eicher Motors and Maruti.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index ended 69 points, or 0.49 per cent higher at 14,318, while S&P BSE SmallCap index settled at 13,690, up 116 points, or 0.86 per cent.
Buzzingstocks
Shares of Jet Airways fell as much as 6.3 per cent to Rs 210.15 apiece on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in the intra-day trade after the company on Wednesday said seven more aircraft have been grounded due to non-payment of lease rentals. The stock, however, recovered its losses and ended the day 1.87 per cent higher at Rs 228.50 levels on the NSE. In comparison, the Nifty50 ended 0.1 per cent lower at 10,792.50 levels.
Global markets
Asian stocks fell on Thursday as investors dialled back some of their recent optimism about a Sino-China trade deal while news that the U.S.-North Korean summit in Hanoi was ending early rattled confidence late in the trading day.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 0.45 per cent, extending earlier declines.
 "F&O expiry: Sensex slips 38 pts at 35,867, Nifty at 10,792; IT stocks drag")
