Sensex ends 241 pts higher, Nifty settled above 21349

The Indian equity market indices ended higher for the second consecutive session on Friday tracking positive cues from global markets.Besides,broader markets witnessed healthy buying action.At close, the Sensex was up 241.86 points or 0.34 percent at 71,106.96, and the Nifty was up 94.35 points or 0.44 percent at 21,349.40.For the week, BSE Sensex and Nifty50 were down 0.5 percent each.
Stocks and Sectors
Wipro, HCL Technologies, Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp and Hindalco Industries were the top gainers on the Nifty, while losers included Grasim Industries, SBI Life Insurance, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank.
On the sectoral front, except for bank, all other indices ended in the green with auto, capital goods, healthcare, oil & gas were up 1 percent each, while Information Technology, metal and realty were up 2 percent each,BSE midcap index rose 0.7 percent and smallcap index rose 1 percent.
On 22 Dec'23,the Indian rupee appreciated by 2 paise to close at 83.25 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, tracking a lower greenback on the back of easing US bond yields.However, a muted trend in the domestic equity markets, unabated outflow of foreign funds and increased volatility in crude oil prices triggered by the geopolitical situation put pressure on the Indian currency, forex traders reportedly said.
Experts Take:
Market experts have recommended six stocks to buy for Friday- LT, Kotak Mahindra Bank, RailTel, Tata Chemicals, Cochin Shipyards and Heritage Foods.

(Writer is a Finance Research Analyst, based in Gandhinagar, Gujarat)