Mumbai, Feb 17: Stock markets closed higher for the second straight session on Tuesday, driven by gains in bank, IT and capital goods shares.
The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 173.81 points, or 0.21 per cent, to close at 83,450.96. The index moved between a high of 83,598 and a low of 82,987.43 during the day.
The 50-share NSE Nifty advanced 42.65 points, or 0.17 per cent, to settle at 25,725.40.
Among the Sensex constituents, ITC, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Larsen & Toubro, Infosys, Asian Paints, Titan, Adani Ports, HCL Technologies, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Maruti Suzuki India, IndiGo, State Bank of India and Tech Mahindra were the major gainers.
On the other hand, Eternal, Tata Steel, Trent, Reliance Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Hindustan Unilever ended with losses.
Broader indices also traded firm, with the BSE Smallcap Select Index rising 0.49 per cent, and Midcap Select Index gained 0.26 per cent.
Among sectoral indices, PSU Bank rose by 2.36 per cent, followed by IT by 1.15 per cent, Industrials by 1.13 per cent, Services by 0.98 per cent, Focussed IT by 0.94 per cent, FMCG by 0.87 per cent, Consumer Durables by 0.85 per cent, and Capital Goods by 0.76 per cent. On the other hand, Metal, Commodities, Energy, and Realty were the only laggards.
A total of 2,447 stocks advanced, while 1,756 declined and 149 remained unchanged. The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms increased by Rs 1,52,688.24 crore to Rs 4,70,11,313.57 crore (USD 5.18 trillion).
In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index settled 0.47 per cent lower, while markets in China, Hong Kong and South Korea remained closed for the Lunar New Year holidays.
European markets are trading higher in mid-session deals. The US equities market remained shut on Monday on account of Presidents’ Day.
Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 972.13 crore on Monday, while domestic institutional investors purchased stocks worth Rs 1,666.98 crore, according to the exchange data.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.79 per cent to USD 68.13 per barrel.
On Monday, the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 650.39 points to close at 83,277.15, while the NSE Nifty advanced 211.65 points to settle at 25,682.75. (PTI)
