Equity benchmarks traded sharply higher in afternoon trade on Thursday, supported by easing crude oil prices following positive geopolitical developments and strong buying in blue-chip information technology stocks.
The BSE jumped more than 520 points, while the NSE advanced over 150 points in today’s session from the previous closing levels.
At 12.38 pm, Sensex traded 370.25 points or 0.48 per cent higher at 77,292.89, and Nifty 50 increased by 116.50 points or 0.49 per cent to 24,122.35.
Broader markets outperformed, with the Nifty Smallcap index rising 0.93 per cent and the Nifty Midcap index gaining 0.63 per cent at the time of writing.
All sectoral indices traded in positive territory, with the
Top movers in today’s trade
Among the Nifty 50 constituents, Infosys, HCLTech, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Wipro and Bajaj Finserv were the top gainers. On the other hand, L&T, Bajaj Auto, Bharti Airtel, BEL and Max Health were the top laggards.
Within the midcap space, Exide Industries, Coforge, Persistent Systems and Mphasis rallied 5-7 per cent. In contrast, BHEL, GMR Airports, Page Industries and Polycab declined 1-3 per cent.
In the smallcap segment, Zensar Technologies, Tata Technologies, Sona BLW Precision Forgings and Five-Star Business Finance gained 5-12 per cent. Meanwhile, Reliance Power, Netweb Technologies, Triveni Turbine and Ola Electric Mobility slipped 1-2 per cent.
Market breadth remained firmly positive. Of the 3,260 stocks traded on the NSE at the time of writing, 2,136 advanced, 1,047 declined and 76 remained unchanged. As many as 114 stocks touched their 52-week highs, while 25 hit their 52-week lows. Additionally, 99 stocks were locked in the upper circuit and 68 hit the lower circuit.