|

Nifty ends at fresh all-time high, Sensex recaptures 73,000

  • India’s Nifty and Sensex closed in the green for the sixth day in a row on Tuesday.  
  • Nifty refreshed all-time high above 22,200, Sensex settled above 73,000.
  • Nifty and Sensex await the Fed and RBI Minutes for fresh trading impulse.  

The Sensex 30 and Nifty 50, India’s key benchmark indices, rebounded on Tuesday, logging the sixth straight day of gains.

Indian indices extended the bullish momentum in the run-up to the release of the Minutes of the US Federal Reserve and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) policy meetings.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) Nifty 50 ended 0.34% higher on the day at 22,196.95 while the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex 30 finished at 73,057.40, up 0.48%.  

The US stock markets will reopen on Tuesday after the Presidents’ Day holiday on Monday.

Stock market news

  • India’s Nifty and Sensex regained upside traction, helped by a rally in private bank stocks and utility sector stocks while ignoring a sell-off in the auto and technology stocks.
  • Power Grid Corp, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Bank and NTPC were among the major gainers on the Nifty on Tuesday while losers included Coal India, HeroMoto Corp, Bajaj Auto, TCS and Eicher Motors.
  • Among the corporate news, Coal India shares fell 5% after fall in e-auction premium.
  • Shares of Whirlpool of India declined after report of promoter off-loading 24% stake.
  • Vibhor Steel Tubes debuted on bourses on February 20.
  • On Monday, Bajaj Auto announced February 29 as the record date for a proposed buyback plan amounting to Rs 4,000 crore, at Rs 10,000 per share.
  • Shares of Paisalo Digital rallied 15% to hit a record high of Rs 164 on Monday, surging 63% in the past month on promoter buying and strong December quarter (Q3FY24) earnings. 
  • Novartis India share price surges nearly 11% to hit a 52-week high as Novartis AG announces sale plans for the company.
  • People’s Bank of China (PBoC) cut the five-year Loan Prime Rate (LPR) by a record 25 bps from 4.20% to 3.95%. The PBOC rate cut failed to excite Asian traders.
  • India’s trade data for January showed Thursday a shrinking Trade Deficit of $17.49 billion.
  • US Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) data came in hotter-than-expected and helped push back the market’s expectations of a Fed rate cut from March to June. Markets are currently pricing a 77% chance of a cut in June, the CME Group’s Fed Watch Tool shows.
  • Attention now turns toward the Minutes of the Fed January meeting and American tech major Nvidia Earnings report due on Wednesday, as the Indian economic calendar remains devoid of any top-tier data release until Thursday’s RBI Minutes.

Sensex FAQs

What is the Sensex?

The Sensex is a name for one of India’s most closely monitored stock indexes. The term was coined in the 1980s by analyst Deepak Mohoni by mashing the words sensitive and index together. The index plots a weighted average of the share price of 30 of the most established stocks on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Each corporation's weighting is based on its “free-float capitalization”, or the value of all its shares readily available for trading.

What factors drive the Sensex?

Given it is a composite, the value of the Sensex is first and foremost dependent on the performance of its constituent companies as revealed in their quarterly and annual results. Government policies are another factor. In 2016 the government decided to phase out high value currency notes, for example, and certain companies saw their share price fall as a result. When the government decided to cut corporation tax in 2019, meanwhile, the Sensex gained a boost. Other factors include the level of interest rates set by the Reserve Bank of India, since that dictates the cost of borrowing, climate change, pandemics and natural disasters

What are the key milestones for the Sensex?

The Sensex started life on April 1 1979 at a base level of 100. It reached its highest recorded level so far, at 73,328, on Monday, January 15, 2024 (this is being written in Feb 2024). The Index closed above the 10,000 mark for the first time on February 7, 2006. On March 13, 2014 the Sensex closed higher than Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index to become the major Asian stock index with the highest value. The index’s biggest gain in a single day occurred on April 7, 2020, when it rose 2,476 points; its deepest single-day loss occurred on January 21, 2008, when it plunged 1,408 points due the US subprime crisis.

What major corporations are in the Sensex?

Major companies within the Sensex include Reliance Industries Ltd, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ITC Ltd, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Tata Steel, HCL Technologies, Infosys, State Bank of India, Sun Pharma, Tata Consultancy Services and Tech Mahindra.

Author

More from FXStreet Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD accelerates losses, focus is on 1.1800

EUR/USD’s selling pressure is gathering pace now, opening the door to a potential test of the key 1.1800 region sooner rather than later. The pair’s pullback comes on the back of marked gains in the US Dollar following US data releases and the publication of the FOMC Minutes later in the day.

GBP/USD turns negative near 1.3540

GBP/USD reverses its initial upside momentum and is now adding to previous declines, revisiting at the same time the 1.3540 region on Wednesday. Cable’s downtick comes on the back of decent gains in the Greenback and easing UK inflation figures, which seem to have reinforced the case for a BoE rate cut in March.

Gold picks pace, flirts with $5,000

Gold is back on the front foot on Wednesday, shaking off part of the early week softness and pushing higher towards the key $5,000 mark per troy ounce. The move comes ahead of the FOMC Minutes and is unfolding despite an intense rebound in the US Dollar.

Fed Minutes to shed light on January hold decision amid hawkish rate outlook

The Minutes of the Fed’s January 27-28 monetary policy meeting will be published today. Details of discussions on the decision to leave the policy rate unchanged will be scrutinized by investors.

Mixed UK inflation data no gamechanger for the Bank of England

Food inflation plunged in January, but service sector price pressure is proving stickier. We continue to expect Bank of England rate cuts in March and June. The latest UK inflation read is a mixed bag for the Bank of England, but we doubt it drastically changes the odds of a March rate cut.

Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple face downside risk as bears regain control

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple remain under pressure on Wednesday, with the broader trend still sideways. BTC is edging below $68,000, nearing the lower consolidating boundary, while ETH and XRP also declined slightly, approaching their key supports.