Sensex Rally Extends to 9 Sessions; NIFTY Closes above 20k for the First Time

The benchmark Sensex increased for a ninth consecutive session on Wednesday as buying in banking, energy, and telecom shares was sparked by positive macroeconomic data. The Nifty also closed above the record 20,000 mark for the first time. In day trading, the 30-share BSE Sensex recovered from early lows to trade close to its all-time high levels at 67,565.41.

The barometer increased 245.86 points or 0.37% to close at 67,466.99. Up to 20 Sensex shares ended the day in the black while 10 fell. The broader Nifty reached its all-time closing high of 20,070, up 76.80 points or 0.38%, as it crossed the 20,000-point threshold for the first time. 31 of the 50 Nifty shares closed higher while 19 closed lower. 

Among the Sensex firms, Bharti Airtel rose the most by 2.72%. Titan, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, State Bank of India, Power Grid, NTPC and Tata Motors were among the major gainers. Mahindra & Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, Nestle, JSW Steel, Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra and Maruti were the major laggards.

“The domestic indices resumed an upward trajectory despite weak global cues. The cooling of domestic CPI inflation to 6.83% in August and the rise in industrial production data reaffirmed the robustness of the Indian economy,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

The contraction in the UK economy and a rise in oil prices have created a level of uncertainty in the global market. Also, investors await US inflation data, which holds global significance as it will provide insights into the Fed’s policy outlook, Nair added.

Retail inflation declined to 6.83% in August after touching a 15-month high of 7.44% in July, mainly due to softening prices of vegetables, but still remains above the Reserve Bank’s comfort zone. India’s industrial production growth rose to a five-month high of 5.7% in July, mainly due to good showing by the manufacturing, mining and power sectors, according to official data released on Tuesday.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Shanghai and Hong Kong settled lower while Tokyo ended in the green. European equities were trading lower. The US markets ended in negative territory on Tuesday. Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.66% to USD 92.56 a barrel. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,047.19 crore on Tuesday after a day’s breather, according to exchange data. The BSE benchmark had climbed 94.05 points or 0.14% to settle at 67,221.13 on Tuesday. The Nifty, however, pared all its gains and ended marginally lower by 3.15 points or 0.02% at 19,993.20 in a volatile trade.