Mumbai, Jun 11 (PTI): Benchmark Sensex closed higher by 123 points while Nifty rose for a sixth consecutive day on Wednesday following a rally in global markets amid optimism over US-China trade talks and foreign fund inflows.

In a volatile session, the 30-share BSE Sensex rose by 123.42 points or 0.15 per cent to settle at 82,515.14. During the day, it climbed 391.79 points or 0.47 per cent to 82,783.50 , driven by gains in IT and energy shares.

In its sixth straight day of gains, the 50-share NSE Nifty ended 37.15 points or 0.15 per cent up at 25,141.40. The index moved between a low of 25,081.30 and a high of 25,222.40 during the day. In the six sessions to Wednesday, Nifty gained 598 points or 2.42 per cent.

After a flat start, the Nifty gradually moved higher in the first half and tested the resistance at 25,200, but failed to sustain the momentum at close, Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd said.

From the Sensex pack, HCL Tech, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Tata Motors and Eternal were the lead gainers.

Power Grid, Adani Ports, IndusInd Bank, Nestle, HDFC Bank and Hindustan Unilever were among the laggards.

"Profit-booking continues in the broader markets, driven by elevated domestic valuations. However, large-cap resilience is supporting the indices, with institutional investors favouring companies with stable earnings outlooks.

"Auto and IT sectors remain in focus - auto stocks are gaining on improved monthly sales, while IT shares are benefiting from optimism around a potential US-China trade resolution," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd, said.

The BSE smallcap gauge went up by 0.06 per cent while midcap index dipped 0.12 per cent.

"Benchmarks ended with marginal gains on Wednesday extending their consolidation phase. Positive developments in US-China trade talks and a steady global equity environment helped buoy sentiment, though gains were tempered by profit-booking in certain sectors," Satish Chandra Aluri, Analyst, Lemonn Markets Desk, said.

Among sectoral indices, oil & gas surged the most by 1.83 per cent, followed by energy (1.33 per cent), BSE Focused IT

(1.30 per cent), IT (1.25 per cent), teck (1.01 per cent), healthcare (0.74 per cent) and auto (0.19 per cent).

Financial Services, FMCG, industrials, power, utilities, services, capital goods and bankex were among the laggards.

As many as 2,227 stocks advanced while 1,821 declined and 132 remained unchanged on the BSE.

In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng settled in the positive territory. European equity markets were trading higher. US markets closed higher on Tuesday.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 2,301.87 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.43 per cent to USD 67.16 a barrel.

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New Delhi: A visit by the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, to Chandigarh on Monday has triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders and social media users, raising questions about national security and foreign policy.

On X, Ambassador Gor announced his visit, writing, “Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army.”

Soon after, opposition voices questioned the broader implications of the visit. Congress Kerala, in a post, commented, “Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings. Didn't they say then ‘Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?’ Compared to that, this is very small.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also weighed in, writing, “Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that.”

She further added, “India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to know from their own government. US Ambassador is doing the job for his nation, who is doing for us? The answer is blowing in the wind.”

The visit comes against the backdrop of the growing US-India defence partnership.

Writer and political analyst @rajuparulekar commented on ‘X’, “East India Company is back!”

“Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in india?” asked another user.

Several X users expressed concerns over the appropriateness of the visit.

One asked, “Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in India?” Another wrote, “Why an ambassador visiting our army places? To talk to Chandigarh lobby for F-35?”

“We have completely sold Indian sovereignty. Rothschild the evil Bankers will now control NSE. Modi sold Bharat Mata to Trump . And now American imperialist is visiting our army command . Scary,” wrote another user.

“The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?,” opined another.

On Sunday, Gor welcomed Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), highlighting efforts to expand the growing US-India defence partnership.

In a post on X, Gor wrote, “Delighted to have @INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo in India to expand the U.S.-India defense partnership. Now is the time to strengthen vital cooperation between our two nations.”

On Monday, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr visited the headquarters of India’s Western Army Command along with the American envoy Sergio Gor. The delegation was briefed on the formation’s capabilities, its past operations, and future plans.

The American delegation also visited Bengaluru, where they met three start-ups, two in the space sector and one in defence, and participated in an Indo-US conference.