Equity indices range-bound but close higher, NTPC gains 7.4 pc
Aug 17, 2020
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], Aug 17 : Equity benchmark indices traded in a narrow range after initial bouts of volatility on Monday but ended in the green amid a mixed trend in Asian markets.
The BSE S&P Sensex closed 173 points or 0.46 per cent higher at 38,051 while the Nifty 50 gained by 81 points or 0.72 per cent at 11,259.
Most sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the positive zone except for Nifty pharma and PSU bank which dipped marginally. Nifty metal was up by 2.5 per cent, auto by 2.4 per cent IT by 1.3 per cent and FMCG by 1.1 per cent.
Among stocks, power utility major NTPC emerged as the top gainers by gaining 7.4 per cent to Rs 95 per share. Eicher Motors followed with gains of 4.8 per cent at Rs 21,110 per share.
Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp were up by 4.3 per cent each while metal major Hindalco ticked up by 4.4 per cent at Rs 193.20 per share.
However, State Bank of India dropped by 1.5 per cent to Rs 193.45 per unit and Reliance Industries lost by 0.9 per cent to Rs 2,094.05. Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank too traded with a negative bias.
Meanwhile, Asian shares were mixed with Shanghai composite jumping by 2.3 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng by 0.65 per cent.
But Japan's Nikkei dipped by 0.83 per cent after the country suffered its biggest economic contraction on record in the second quarter. South Korea's Kospi too closed 1.23 per cent lower.
