Sensex, Nifty end with marginal gains

Equity markets witnessed a choppy session on Tuesday, with benchmark indices oscillating between gains and losses before ending marginally in the green. Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and investor caution, the Sensex closed 70 points higher, while the Nifty posted a modest gain of seven points. The BSE Sensex opened on a strong note, climbing nearly 180 points to touch 80,396. It later surged to an intra-day high of 80,661 before erasing most of its gains amid selling pressure, dropping to a low of 80,122 — down 539 points from the day’s peak.
The index recovered in the final hours to close at 80,288, up 0.1 per cent.
The NSE Nifty followed a similar trajectory. It opened at 24,370, reached an early high of 24,457, and then slipped to an intra-day low of 24,290. The index settled at 24,336, a seven-point rise from the previous close.
On the gainers’ list, technology stocks led the rally. Tech Mahindra, Eternal (formerly Zomato), HCL Technologies, Bajaj Finserv, Infosys, and TCS rose between 1 and 2 per cent.
On the flip side, UltraTech Cement and Sun Pharma were the worst performers, each declining by 2 per cent. Other notable losers included Kotak Mahindra Bank, NTPC, SBI, and Nestle India.
Among sectoral indices, the BSE IT and Capital Goods indices rose by 1 per cent each. However, the Metal index declined by 1 per cent, while Power and Bankex indices slipped 0.5 per cent each.
The rupee consolidated in a narrow range and settled for the day 2 paise lower at 85.25 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, on recovery in the US dollar and geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan. However, positive domestic markets and a decline in crude oil prices cushioned the downside for the domestic unit.

(Business Correspondent)