Market Wrap, Feb 20: Sensex down 153 pts, Nifty below 12,100

After a one-day blip, benchmark indices once again slipped into the negative territory on Thursday, pulled down by heavyweights such as Reliance Industries (RIL), HDFC Bank, TCS, HUL and Asian Paints. Further, investors awaited more clarity on US President Donald Trump’s statement ahead of his visit to India that the two countries were working on a major trade deal.

The S&P BSE Sensex lost 153 points or 0.37 per cent to settle at 41,170, with Asian Paints (down over 2 per cent) being the top loser and IndusInd Bank (down over 3.5 per cent) the biggest gainer. 

NSE's Nifty50 index ended the session at 12,081, down 45 points or 0.37 per cent. 

Among individual stocks, IRCTC gained over 5 per cent to end at 1,928 . Adani Gas rallied 13 per cent to Rs 185.50 apiece on the BSE after media reports said Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) disposed November 29 showcause notice to the company and the regulator has approved TOTAL's 37 per cent stake buy in the company. 

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Midcap index added 62.5 points or 0.4 per cent to 15,694 while the S&P BSE SmallCap index rallied 0.5 per cent to settle at 14,747. 

On the sectoral front, IT stocks bled the most, followed by FMCG and media counters. On the other hand, PSU bank stocks advanced the most. The Nifty PSU Bank index climbed 1 per cent to 2,169 levels. 

GLOBAL MARKETS 

Asian stocks slipped and so did the region’s currencies on Thursday, as virus cases rose in South Korea and Japan and investors quit local assets in favor of safety further afield. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.3 per cent, led by drops on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and South Korea’s KOSPI.

E-mini futures for the S&P 500 traded a fraction softer and European futures fell 0.2 per cent, while bonds firmed slightly.

The Australian dollar fell 0.6 per cent to an 11-year low of $0.6633 after a surprise rise in unemployment.

In commodities, oil prices added to overnight gains while gold loitered around $1,609 per ounce.


Markets will remain shut on Friday on account of Mahashivratri.