Stocks end higher for fourth straight day led by gains in Reliance, rail stocks

The stock market closed higher on Tuesday, extending gains for a fourth straight session, though profit-taking in select banking and consumer stocks capped broader market advances.

The NSE Nifty 50 rose 31 points, or 0.12%, to 25,108, while the S&P BSE Sensex gained 137 points, or 0.17%, to close at 81,927. Despite the upmove, market breadth favoured declines, with mid- and small-cap stocks showing mixed trends. The Nifty Midcap 100 climbed 274 points to 58,289.

Banking and energy shares provided most of the support. The Nifty Bank index rose 135 points to 56,239, led by gains in ICICI Bank and SBI, even as Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank saw profit booking. Reliance Industries added nearly 1%, extending its recent momentum and contributing the most to Nifty’s upside.

Among sectoral movers, telecom and rail stocks outperformed. Vodafone Idea jumped nearly 9% after positive developments in the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) case, while Bharti Airtel rose 1% on signs of improved subscriber additions. Indus Towers also advanced.

Railway-linked stocks surged after the Cabinet cleared projects worth ₹24,000 crore. IRCON International rallied 7%, while Titagarh Rail Systems gained over 4%.

Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) surged 6% following reports of a potential change in the tax framework for gas sourcing. Dreamfolks Services rose 5% after announcing its entry into the B2C segment.

On the downside, Tata Motors fell 2% despite its Jaguar Land Rover unit resuming production at one plant. Trent slipped 2% after reporting subdued Q2 growth. Life insurance stocks ended mixed — HDFC Life and Max Financial declined, while SBI Life gained.

In the midcap segment, Divi’s Laboratories, Titagarh Rail, Torrent Power, Amber Enterprises, and Federal Bank were among the top gainers, whereas CESC, Jindal Steel and Power, Britannia, HDFC Asset Management, Bank of Baroda, and Hindustan Copper were the top laggards.