After hitting fresh intraday low in early afternoon trade, key benchmark indices hovered near the flat line in afternoon trade amid mixed Asian cues. At 13:15 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 0.67 point at 33,778.05. The Nifty 50 index advanced 6 points or 0.06% at 10,450.20.
The market opened higher and swung between gains and losses near the flat line in a lackluster session of trade so far.
The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.63%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.95%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.
The breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 1,608 shares rose and 918 shares fell. A total of 186 shares were unchanged.
IT stocks nudged higher. HCL Technologies (up 1.7%), Oracle Financial Services Software (up 1.44%), Infosys (up 0.77%), Tech Mahindra (up 0.45%) and TCS (up 0.27%) gained. Wipro (down 0.03%) dropped.
Pharma stocks gained. Divi's Laboratories (up 2.29%), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (up 0.77%), Cipla (up 0.52%), Lupin (up 0.45%) and Aurobindo Pharma (up 0.33%) advanced. Dr Reddy's Laboratories (down 0.23%) edged lower.
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Cadila Healthcare rose 2.26% after the company said it received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for Nifedipine extended-release tablets. The drug is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina (chest pain). It will be manufactured at the group's formulations manufacturing facility at Ahmedabad. The announcement was made during market hours today, 21 December 2017.
Overseas, Asian stocks were mixed. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept monetary policy steady despite growing signs of strength in the economy. In a widely expected move, the BOJ maintained the 0.1% interest it charges on a portion of excess reserves that financial institutions park at the central bank.
UK consumer sentiment worsened again in December as Britons turned more pessimistic about their finances, a survey published showed. The long-running barometer of consumer confidence, conducted by market researcher GfK U.K. for the European Union's executive, dropped by one point in December and stood at minus 13, the lowest reading in four years.
US stocks closed marginally lower yesterday, 20 December 2017, as congressional Republicans sent tax-cut legislation to President Donald Trump for his signature. The House of Representatives yesterday, 20 December 2017 passed a historic tax bill, which they voted on for the second time due to a technical irregularity the day before. The bill includes a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. The Senate passed the overhaul early on Wednesday.
In the economic data, existing-home sales in US rose to a 5.81 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in November, the National Association of Realtors said. The number came in well above expectations.
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