Sensex rises for 2nd day, surges 1,223 pts; Nifty tops 16,300; RIL zooms 5%

CLOSING BELL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's reported statement that his country has cooled down on the question of a NATO membership calmed investor nerves

Market LIVE: Sensex up 1200pts; Nifty atop 16300; RIL, Asian Paints gain 5%

CLOSING BELL

Frontline indices climbed for a second straight day on Wednesday, rising over 2 per cent, even as Ukraine-Russia conflict showed no signs of ebbing, and the US and European Union announcing fresh sanctions on Russia and Belarus.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's reported statement that his country has cooled down on the question of a NATO membership calmed investor nerves. READ HERE

Against this backdrop, the BSE Sensex index leaped 1,223 points, or 2.3 per cent, to settle at 54,647 today. On the NSE, the Nifty50 closed at 16,345 levels, up 332 points or 2 per cent. The benchmarks had hit intra-day highs of 54,894 and 16,418, respectively.

ALSO READ: Key factors that fuelled the rally today

Both these indices were lifted by Asian Paints, Reliance Industries, and Bajaj Finance as these shares zoomed between 5 per cent and 6 per cent. That apart, IndusInd Bank, M&M, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Motors, Adani Ports, HDFC Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Ultratech Cement, and Tech M were other winners on the bourses, up in the range of 3-4 per cent.

On the downside, Shree Cement, ONGC, Power Grid, NTPC, Coal India, and Tata Steel fell over 1 per cent each as profit booking in commodity-linked stocks extended into second day.

In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices added over 2 per cent each. Overall, over 2,600 stocks ended in the green on the BSE as against less than 700 declining stocks.

ALSO READ: Goldman Sachs sees gold prices hitting $2,500/oz by year-end

Sectorally, the Nifty Metal index was the sole loser was a second straight day, down 0.4 per cent. The gainers, meanwhile, were the Nifty Realty and Auto indices, up 3 per cent each; the Nifty Bank, Financial Services, Private Bank and PSB indices, up 2 per cent each; and the Nifty IT and Pharma indices, up 1 per cent.

Global markets
European markets were sharply higher on Wednesday as investors continued to monitor surging commodity prices and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 jumped 3.2 per cent by mid-morning, with travel and leisure stocks adding 5.4 per cent to lead gains as almost all sectors and major bourses entered positive territory. Oil and gas stocks fell 1.5 per cent.

On Wall Street, Nasdaq Futures were up over 2 per cent, while Dow Jones and S&P500 Futures added 1.5 per cent and 1.7 per cent, respectively.

Asian indices, however, nursed losses today. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.3 per cent, South Korea's Kospi and China's Shanghai Composite shed over 1 per cent each, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.7 per cent.

4:15 PM

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

The proximity to the lower band of the falling channel and the formation of a bullish Engulfing pattern has induced the rally in the benchmark Nifty. However, the Nifty has found resistance at the previous swing low. The momentum is positive with a bullish crossover in the daily RSI. Going ahead, a decisive move above 16400 may unlock the next level for Nifty. On the lower end, support is visible at 16200/16000.

4:11 PM

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

Domestic indices carried forward yesterday’s gains following a clawback in European markets and US futures as smart investors saw value in the current market valuations. Dip buying is noticed in heavyweights, defensives like IT & Pharma, and value buying in Pvt banks. Oil prices continued to rise after the US banned Russian oil imports. The domestic market is also reacting positively to exit polls and in anticipation of in-line state election results. In the near term, the domestic market will trade as per the positive or negative surprise in the state election results and global trend.

4:09 PM