Sensex settled with 63.57 pts or 0.08% gains at 82,634.48 while Nifty 50 inched up 16.25 pts or 0.06% to 25,212.05

Equity benchmark indices closed flat on Wednesday amid lack of fresh positive triggers, mixed global sentiments and earnings-related jitters. According to market experts, investors are likely to shift focus toward stock-specific opportunities in the absence of broad-based momentum.

The macroeconomic outlook remains strong, supported by easing inflation, lower interest rates, a healthy monsoon, and softer oil prices. A drop in inflation in eight straight months has provided a push to the market, emphasised, Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

As the investors are treading a fine line between optimism and caution in the ongoing earnings season, Nair said that an upgrade in earnings is essential in the premium valued stock market.

After a sluggish start, Sensex settled with 63.57 pts or 0.08 per cent gains at 82,634.48. Nifty 50 inched up 16.25 pts or 0.06 per cent to 25,212.05

The Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices settled on a flat note. Sectoral performance were mixed due to volatility. PSU Bank outperformed with 1.81 per cent gain. Media, IT, realty and auto ended in positive territory, while metal and pharma ended in the red. 

“The positive close was primarily propelled by robust buying in PSU bank stocks following news that the government is contemplating fresh sector reforms,” Vaibhav Vidwani, Research Analyst at Bonanza, said. Selective profit booking was observed in metal and defense stocks.

Market breadth remained marginally positive, with the advance-decline ratio slightly favouring the bulls. Out of the Nifty 500 universe, 264 stocks ended the day with gains, indicating a cautiously optimistic undertone, Sudeep Shah, Head – Technical Research and Derivatives at SBI Securities, said.

Top gainers & losers today

Shares of M&M, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Nestle, SBI and Infosys led the gainers of Nifty 50 pack, while Shriram Finance, Eternal, Sun Pharma, Cipla and Tata Steel depreciated the most.

Among the PSU Bank stocks, PNB, PSB, Canara Bank, IOB and Bank of Baroda soared about 2 per cent.

About 78 stocks, including Force Motors, Biocon, GRM Overseas, Blue Jet and Deccan Cements, hit the 52-week high, while 22 stocks hit the 52-week low. Nearly 96 stocks such as Onward Technologies and Coffee Day hit the upper circuit and 60 stocks hit the lower circuit on the National Stock Exchange.

Asset management companies also rallied sharply amid strong performance from April lows.

Top midcap & smallcap movers

Shares of Patanjali, LIC Housing Finance, Hindustan Petroleum, GRM Airport and Vodafone Idea zoomed 3-6 per cent among midcap stocks, while Ola Electric, Page Industries, Policy Bazaar and AU Small Finance Bank declined 2-4 per cent.

In the smallcap segment, Aadhar Housing Finance, Swan Energy, Shyam Metalics, IDBI and GSPL gained 3-6 per cent, while Neuland Lab, Amber and Aditya Birla Real Estate fell 3-6 per cent.

According to Ashika Institutional Equities, notable open interest build-up was observed in stocks such as ICICI Lombard (ICICIGI), Patanjali Foods, Amber Enterprises, Biocon, and Torrent Power on the derivatives front.

Rupee declined 18 paise against the US dollar to close at 85.94 on Wednesday. It experienced notable volatility today, initially weakening against a robust US Dollar before recovering mid-session due to dollar supply, only to conclude with net losses, stated Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst at HDFC Securities.

Gold prices witnessed a positive recovery after yesterday’s minor pullback, supported by safe haven demand despite higher US CPI data at 2.7 per cent, which lifted the dollar index and briefly pressured bullion, Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst – Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities, said.

In the week ahead, key US data including PPI and jobless claims will guide further movement. Gold is expected to remain volatile within a range of ₹96,500–₹98,500.

Asian markets settled lower.

On Tuesday, BSE Sensex settled 317.45 pts or 0.39 per cent higher at 82,570.91, and Nifty 50 gained 113.50 pts or 0.45 per cent to 25,195.80. FIIs bought equities worth ₹120.47 crore, the NSE data shows.

Published on July 16, 2025