Sensex slips 542 pts, Nifty holds 19,350; Vedanta sinks 7%, Adani Ent up 2%

Closing Bell on August 3: 39 of the 50 Nifty stocks ended in the negative zone led by Titan, Bajaj Finserv, ONGC, ICICI Bank, Nestle India, Ultratech Cement

Stock market highlights: Global sentiment remained weak even on Thursday as investors fretted over rating agency Fitch's credit rating downgrade of the US. Indian benchmark indices -- Sensex and Nifty -- however, ended sharply off lows on fag-end buying amid weekly F&O expiry.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended 542 points, or 0.82 per cent, lower at 65,241 levels, while the Nifty50 ended below the 19,400-mark at 19,382. It slipped 145 points or 0.74 per cent. The indices hit intra-day lows of 64,963 and 19,296.

39 of the 50 Nifty stocks ended in the negative zone led by Titan, Bajaj Finserv, ONGC, ICICI Bank, Nestle India, Ultratech Cement, HDFC Life, UPL, Bajaj Finance, TCS, Hero MotoCorp, IndusInd Bank, and SBI. These stocks fell between 1 per cent and 2.4 per cent.

In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap and Smallcap indices ended 0.14 per cent and 0.23 per cent higher, respectively.

Barring the Nifty Pharma and Media indices (up 1 per cent each), all other sectors ended in the red with the Nifty Realty index down 1.8 per cent.  

IPO Update :: SBFC Finance
The three day initial public offer of SBFC Finance was subscribed 1.35 times till 3:30 PM on the first day of the bidding. The retail portion was booked 1.65 times, Employees' protion 91 per cent, NII portion 2.46 times, and QIB 2 per cent.

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Fitch downgrades US' rating: How soon can the markets recover?

Stock markets, analysts suggest, are impacted by unexpected events and see a knee-jerk reaction. When market valuations are high, the sell-off, they say, will be sharp. READ MORE

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SBI Q1FY24 preview: Analysts see profit surging up to 169% YoY; here's why

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After a solid Q1, IndiGo's troubles may mount in Q2FY24, warn analysts

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4:13 PM

MRF gains 4%, hits new high in weak market on strong Q1 results

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4:11 PM

Titan dips nearly 3% on disappointing Q1 operational performance

Heightened competitive scenario has led to company lowering its making charges in a bid to sustain market share gains during the quarter. READ MORE

4:10 PM

Vedanta slips 7%, nears 52-week low on huge block deals

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4:08 PM

KSB zooms 19% in a weak market on healthy June quarter performance

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4:05 PM

New era of Indian equity outperformance is dawning: Morgan Stanley

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4:03 PM

Ambuja Cements gains 3% on acquisition of Sanghi Industries for Rs 5,000 cr

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4:01 PM

UPL slips 3%, hits over 2-year low on weak June quarter results

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3:58 PM

Varun Beverages rises 2% on strong Q2 results; stock up 26% so far in 2023

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3:56 PM

FDC surges 9% as board to consider buyback on August 9

Since April, the stock price of FDC has appreciated 48 per cent as compared to 11.2 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. READ MORE

3:54 PM

Dixon Tech, Optiemus, HCL Info rally 8-9% on laptops, tablets import curbs

Dixon Technologies surged 8 per cent to its intra-day high of Rs 4,467 apiece. HCL Infosystems rallied 9 per cent to a high of Rs 17.40 and Optiemus Infracom jumped 8 per cent. READ MORE

3:51 PM

Market breadth was neutral; Close to 1,800 shares advanced vs 1,760 declining stocks on the BSE

3:49 PM

BSE Smallcap Heatmap:: DigiSpace, KSB soar up to 20%; Ador Welding slumps 13%