Markets maintained firm gains through the first half of trade on Friday, with the Sensex up 539.09 points or 0.70 per cent at 78,041.21 and the Nifty 50 higher by 182.10 points or 0.75 per cent at 24,357.80, as of 12.55 PM. The session so far has been marked by broad-based buying, improving market breadth, and continued strength in technology and healthcare stocks.
BSE market statistics painted an encouraging picture at midday. Of 4,178 stocks traded, 2,217 advanced against 1,721 declines, with 240 unchanged. A total of 164 stocks hit 52-week highs, compared to just 47 at 52-week lows. Stocks in upper circuit numbered 144, while 153 were locked in lower circuit — a broadly healthy reading for a mid-session snapshot.
HCL Technologies remained the standout performer on the Nifty, surging 6.93 per cent to ₹1,152.80 on volumes of over 89.71 lakh shares, with trade value crossing ₹1,01,768.97 lakh — by far the most actively traded gainer. Tech Mahindra held firm with a gain of 3.17 per cent to ₹1,429.20, with over 20.76 lakh shares changing hands worth ₹29,642.20 lakh.
The IT sector’s outperformance comes even as global semiconductor stocks remain under pressure, suggesting domestic investors are re-rating Indian technology companies on their own merits, driven in part by low valuations.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories rose 2.96 per cent to ₹1,385.60 on volumes of 7.46 lakh shares valued at ₹10,255.34 lakh, while Max Healthcare climbed 2.72 per cent to ₹1,156.00, with 9.23 lakh shares traded worth ₹10,578.23 lakh. The pharma and healthcare names added sectoral diversity to what had started as a largely IT-driven rally in the morning session.
Bajaj Finserv gained 2.55 per cent to ₹1,903.00, with 14.93 lakh shares traded worth ₹28,276.63 lakh, bucking broader weakness in banking stocks.
On the other side, State Bank of India was the biggest loser on the Nifty, falling 1.05 per cent to ₹1,040.60 on heavy volumes of 61.20 lakh shares worth ₹64,016.67 lakh — the highest value traded among all losers. Axis Bank declined 0.64 per cent to ₹1,353.90 on volumes of 18.79 lakh shares worth ₹25,578.68 lakh, while Kotak Mahindra Bank slipped 0.63 per cent to ₹396.80 on over 80.12 lakh shares valued at ₹31,881.00 lakh. PSU and private banks continued the selling trend that began at the open, consistent with the morning’s narrative of rotation away from rate-sensitive financials.
IndiGo fell 0.69 per cent to ₹5,406.50 with 2.92 lakh shares traded worth ₹15,920.14 lakh. Bajaj Auto shed 0.40 per cent to ₹9,818.00 on volumes of 79,756 shares worth ₹7,859.74 lakh, reflecting continued caution in the auto sector.
With the Nifty trading near the 24,300–24,350 zone that analysts had flagged as a key resistance area in pre-market notes, the second half of trade will be watched closely. A sustained hold and close above 24,350 — and ideally 24,375 — would be technically significant, with Kotak Securities’ Shrikant Chouhan having said earlier that a weekly close above 24,350 “would increase the probabilities of crossing 24,600 soon.”