Market Wrap: Sensex ends record-breaking year with a bang; up 22% in 2021

Top headlines
 
·        Sensex gains 460 points to end record-breaking year with a bang; up 22% in 2021
·        Indigo Paints zooms 16% after brokerage firm Motilal Oswal gives Buy rating
·        SmallCap Responsive Industries zooms 65% in 3 days on FY22 half-yearly turnaround
·        CMS Info Systems rallies smartly after a listless listing
·        GST Council defers rate hike in textiles, refers issues to group of ministers
 
The key benchmark indices ended the record-breaking year 2021 on a higher note. The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty displayed a firm trend throughout the day on the back of steady gains in auto, financials, FMCG and index heavyweight Reliance Industries.
 
The Sensex touched a high of 58,409 before ending the day with a gain of 460 points at 58,254. In total, the total gain for the index this week was 1,130 points.
 
The Sensex finished the calendar year with a solid gain of 22%. It touched a new life-time high of 62,245 on October 19, 2021. The NSE Nifty today settled 150 points higher at 17,354, and was up a whopping 24% through 2021.
 
Titan was the top gainer among the Sensex 30 stocks. It ended 3.5% higher at Rs 2,522. UltraTech Cement and Kotak Bank were up around 2.5% each. Maruti, Axis Bank, SBI, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, Nestle and Sun Pharma were the other major gainers.
 
Among losers for the day, IT stocks underperformed on selective profit-taking and NTPC slipped 2%.
 
The broader markets outperformed the benchmark indices. The BSE Midcap and Smallcap were up 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively.
 
Textile stocks ended with strong gains after the GST Council decided to defer implementation of the GST rate increase. TT Ginni Filaments and Super Spinning were the major gainers, up 10-11% each. Salona Cotspin, SPL Industries, GTN Textiles, Digjam and Bombay Dyeing were among the other major gainers, All of them rose about 5% each.
 
Among sectors, the BSE Metal and Consumer Durables indices were up over 2% each. The auto and telecom indices gained 1.7% each. The Bankex, FMCG, Oil & Gas and Realty indices also finished with gains of over 1% each.
 
Among individual stocks, Indigo Paints was in the spotlight. The stock rallied nearly 16% on the BSE after Brokerage firm Motilal Oswal initiated a coverage on the stock with a 'Buy' rating and a target of Rs 2,270. The brokerage said the company had successfully surpassed the high entry barriers of the Indian paints industry.
 
Further, CMS Info Systems had a muted debut, with the stock getting listed at Rs 218.50 on the BSE - a 1.2% premium to its issue price of Rs 216 per share. The stock, however, rallied in the latter half of the trading day and ended 10% higher than its issue price.
 
Lastly, among small caps, another paints and furniture company Responsive Industries rallied over 19% on the BSE after the company recently announced its quarterly and half-yearly numbers for the the period until the end of September. The company reported a turnaround, with a net profit of Rs 6.60 crore, against a net loss of Rs 4.13 crore in the same period a year earlier. The stock has zoomed a whopping 68.7% in the past three trading sessions alone.