Sensex Finishes Higher, Still Posts Weekly Loss

India’s BSE Sensex closed about 0.4% firmer at 77,264.5 on Friday, recovering some ground after two consecutive sessions of losses, supported by easing crude oil prices and a positive global outlook for the technology sector. However, India’s new closing-auction mechanism remained a source of concern after sharp swings on monthly derivatives expiry days. Meanwhile, investors cautiously awaited Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's first Jackson Hole keynote for clues on the US central bank's September policy outlook. IT stocks led the advance, with TCS surging 4.1%, followed by Infosys at 3.3%, Tech Mahindra at 3.2% and HCL Technologies at 2.7%. Other notable gainers included Titan, Eternal, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Sun Pharma, rising more than 1% each. On the other hand, ICICI Bank (-1.3%), UltraTech Cement (-1.2%) and Asian Paints (-1.1) were the biggest laggards. For the week, the index recorded a 0.4% decline.

The SENSEX Index went up by 331 points or 0.43 percent on Friday to close at 77265 points. The rise was led by Tata Consultancy (4.16%), Tech Mahindra (3.12%) and Infosys (2.90%). On the downside, the weakerst performers were Asian Paints (-1.37%), ITC (-1.30%) and Indusind Bank (-1.28%).

India’s BSE Sensex rose about 0.4% to 77,244 on Friday, recovering from losses in the previous two sessions although investors remained cautious ahead of a speech by US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh and monitored volatility following the introduction of a new closing-auction mechanism. US Treasury yields also rose Thursday, potentially raising borrowing costs and weighing on riskier emerging-market assets, while Brent crude hovered around $89 a barrel. Among stocks, Lenskart is in focus as investor Alpha Wave Ventures is likely to sell up to 20.8 million shares through a block deal, according to media reports. Wipro and Google Cloud are expanding their partnership to scale AI across core enterprise operations, while SBI Funds Management received a “buy” rating from Jefferies, citing its strong association with State Bank of India and presence in fast-growing tier-2 and smaller cities. Notable gainers included Ather Energy (4.8%), Tejas (12.6%), Netweb (1.3%), and HSCL (1.2%).