Market extends Tuesday’s gains, Nifty ends above 25,750 as IT slides, broader markets outperform

The equity benchmark indices BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty extended Tuesday’s gains to close at a three-week high, supported by heavyweight stocks and strong action in broader markets, even as the IT pack witnessed a sharp sell-off. The Sensex rose 79 points to settle at 83,818, while the Nifty added 49 points to close at 25,776, holding comfortably above the 25,750 mark.

Gains were led by Reliance Industries and private sector banks, which helped the benchmarks stay in positive territory. The Nifty Bank index advanced 197 points to 60,238, outperforming the frontline indices.

From the Sensex basket, Trent Ltd, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd, NTPC Ltd, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd, Power Grid Corporation Of India Ltd and Maruti Suzuki India Ltd were the major gainers. Infosys Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd, Tech Mahindra Ltd and Wipro Ltd were the biggest laggards.

Broader markets continued their strong run, with the midcap index rising 377 points to 59,684. Market breadth remained supportive, with the NSE advance-decline ratio at 2:1.

In contrast, the IT sector saw a steep fall amid worries around the Anthropic AI tool, dragging the Nifty IT index down by 5%. Hindustan Aeronautics declined 6% on reports of the company losing out on a jet fighter order.

Among individual stocks, Trent emerged as the top gainer on the Nifty, rising 5% ahead of its Q3 results. Eternal also saw buying interest and closed with a gain of 5%. Tube Investments surged over 5% after reporting a beat in its Q3 performance.

Gold-related companies moved higher in line with prices, with MCX gaining 4%. NMDC rose 5% on reports related to government steps concerning critical minerals. PG Electroplast advanced 5% following an upgrade after its Q3 earnings, while Angel One climbed 4% after releasing a healthy update for January.

PB Fintech continued to remain under pressure and is down 13% over the last four sessions. In the results-driven trade, Devyani International rose 6%, while Eureka Forbes fell 7% after their Q3 numbers. Gokaldas Exports extended gains and hit a 20% upper circuit during the session, while Lloyds Metals jumped 10% on strong Q3 results.