Markets traded 0.1% lower amid volatility, Nifty below 24,200

The domestic share markets ended marginally lower in the volatile session on Thursday.At close, the Sensex was down 122.56 points or 0.16 percent at 77,988.68, and the Nifty was down 34.55 points or 0.14 percent at 24,196.75.
Hindalco Industries, Trent, Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports and Eternal were the top gainers on the Nifty, while losers included HDFC Bank, ONGC, HDFC Life, Titan Company, Apollo Hospitals.On the sectoral front,Among sectors, IT, capital goods and metal indices gained 1% each, while auto, bank, oil & gas ended lower.Broader indices continued their outperformance as Nifty midcap index rising 0.6 percent and smallcap index adding nearly 1 percent.
Rupee Close:
On 16 Apr'26,the Indian rupee strengthened by 10 paise to settle at 93.23  against the US dollar on Thursday, following a decline in global crude oil prices amid hopes of a truce in West Asia.However, sustained outflow of foreign capital amid increased dollar demand from importers capped the gain in the local currency, forex traders said, adding that the domestic unit rose after crude oil prices hovered around USD 95-a-barrel.
Trading Guide:
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments stated the domestic market opened positively but closed with a marginal loss on the weekly expiry day after a volatile session, as investors booked profits following recent gains. Markets remain watchful for clarity on the second round of US–Iran negotiations, which will guide the near term trend.A higher than expected WPI inflation print weighed on auto and consumption stocks, while IT stocks found support from improving confidence in clearer visibility on AI led demand. Banking stocks stayed under pressure due to mixed Q4 FY26 earnings expectations. Metal stocks also advanced, supported by a softer dollar and favourable macro data from China.
Market experts recommended five shares to buy on Thursday- Graphite India, Finolex Cables, Sonata Software, MM Forgings, and Sharda Cropchem.

(Business Correspondent)