Sensex Finishes on Positive Note, Still Posts Weekly Loss

India’s BSE Sensex closed about 0.5% up at 76,515 on Friday, halting a four-day losing run, supported by easing oil prices and reduced Fed rate-hike expectations. Fed Governor Christopher Waller on Thursday favored keeping rates unchanged if incoming data confirms moderating inflation pressures. Meanwhile, persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and heightened volatility following India’s new closing-auction mechanism kept investors cautious. Metals, financial services, private banking and oil & gas shares witnessed strong buying interest. Tata Steel led the gains (+2.9%), followed by Reliance Industries (+1.6%), Bajaj Finance (+1.5%), Trent (+1.3%) and Adani Ports (+1.3%). HDFC Bank added 1.3%, while Kotak Mahindra Bank, UltraTech Cement and Titan rose 1.2%, 1.1% and 1%, respectively. On the losing side, Bharti Airtel and HCL Technologies fell 1.2% each. Eternal declined 1.1%, while Asian Paints and TCS shed 0.5% each. The index posted a weekly losses of roughly 1%.

The SENSEX Index went up by 493 points or 0.65 percent on Friday to close at 76646 points. The rise was led by Tata Steel (2.73%), Reliance Industries (2.03%) and Bajaj Finance (1.33%). On the downside, the weakerst performers were HCL Tech (-1.94%), Maruti Suzuki (-1.30%) and Bharti Airtel (-1.04%).

India’s BSE Sensex rose about 0.8% to 76,728 on Friday, rebounding from four straight sessions of losses as easing expectations for a September US Fed rate hike lifted risk appetite. Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who favored keeping rates unchanged if incoming data confirms easing inflation pressures. However, gains were limited by elevated oil prices and Middle East tensions, with Brent crude near $96 a barrel and on track for its strongest weekly rise since mid-July. Investors also remained cautious over India’s new closing-auction mechanism after Sensex put premiums surged 400%-500% on Thursday as the indicative index briefly fell 2.5%, prompting traders to cut positions and boost hedging. Among stocks, Gland Pharma was in focus after reports said Fosun Pharma may sell up to a 5% stake worth 22.8 billion rupees through a block deal. IFCI (5.2%), Angel One (5%), and Reliance (2.1%) gained. The benchmark is down 0.7% week-to-date, on track for a fourth straight weekly decline.