Sensex Gains 262 Points, Nifty Ends Above 24,270 After Volatile Trade As HCLTech Rallies 6%; IT Stocks Shine

Stock Market Today: Domestic equities ended higher on Friday after a volatile trading session, supported by gains in information technology stocks and positive global cues. However, profit booking in banking and select heavyweight shares erased a large part of the day’s gains from the highs.

The BSE Sensex settled at 77,763.91, up 261.79 points or 0.34%, after touching an intraday high of 78,157.52. The NSE Nifty 50 closed at 24,270.85, gaining 95.15 points or 0.39%.

Broader markets end mixed; India VIX slips nearly 4%

The broader market ended on a mixed note. The Nifty 100 rose 0.28%, the Nifty 200 gained 0.19%, and the Nifty 500 added 0.16%. However, the Nifty Midcap 100 declined 0.19%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 managed to close marginally higher by 0.04%.

India VIX, the market’s fear gauge,

fell 3.98% to 11.80, indicating easing volatility despite intraday swings.

IT, Realty and Pharma lead; PSU Bank index falls over 1.5%

Sectorally, IT stocks remained in favour, with the Nifty IT index rising 1.76%. Realty was the best-performing sector, advancing 2.19%, while Nifty Healthcare gained 1.80%, Nifty Pharma climbed 1.72%, and Nifty Metal added 0.76%.

On the flip side, Nifty PSU Bank fell 1.54%, while Nifty Auto and Consumer Durables slipped 0.44% and 0.37%, respectively.

HCLTech tops Sensex gainers; Axis Bank, SBI among losers

HCLTech emerged as the top Sensex performer, surging 5.79% after announcing a $1.14 billion digital transformation deal. Tech Mahindra gained 1.81%, while Bharti Airtel, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finserv, UltraTech Cement, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance and TCS also ended with healthy gains.

Among the laggards, Axis Bank declined 1.54%, followed by SBI, Mahindra & Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndiGo and Adani Ports as investors booked profits in select financial and industrial counters.

Earnings, monsoon and FTA talks to guide markets

Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments, said domestic markets ended the session higher despite intermittent volatility and profit booking, supported by favourable global cues and increasing expectations of a more accommodative global interest rate environment after softer US labour market data.

He added that investor sentiment also received support from positive outcomes of the India-Japan Summit and the continued recovery in IT stocks. Softer crude oil prices remain an important macroeconomic positive for India as they support the inflation outlook, improve external balances and strengthen overall economic stability.

Looking ahead, Nair said investor focus will shift to the Q1FY27 earnings season and management commentary, particularly against the backdrop of a widening monsoon deficit. He expects markets to continue following a buy-on-dips strategy, with earnings quality and global developments, including progress on the proposed India-US free trade agreement, remaining key factors to watch.