Stock markets rebound on buying in HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank; Sensex climbs 442.61 pts
Mumbai, Jul 21 (PTI): Benchmark BSE Sensex surged by 442 points while Nifty closed above the 25,000 level on Monday following buying in blue-chip private banking shares HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank after their quarterly earnings.
Snapping the two-day falling streak, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 442.61 points or 0.54 per cent to settle at 82,200.34. During the day, it surged 516.3 points or 0.63 per cent to 82,274.03.
The 50-share NSE Nifty jumped 122.30 points or 0.49 per cent to 25,090.70. The 50-issue index had slid below the 25,000 mark to settle near a month's low on Friday.
Firm trend in Asian markets and fresh foreign fund inflows also supported the markets.
Among Sensex firms, Eternal surged the most by 5.38 per cent post its first quarter numbers.
ICICI Bank jumped 2.76 per cent after the company posted a 15.9 per cent jump in its consolidated net profit for the June quarter to Rs 13,558 crore compared to Rs 11,696 crore in the year-ago period.
HDFC Bank climbed 2.19 per cent despite the firm reporting a 1.31 per cent decline in its consolidated net profit to Rs 16,258 crore for the June 2025 quarter.
Mahindra & Mahindra, Bharat Electronics, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Tata Motors were also among the gainers.
However, India's most valuable company Reliance Industries declined 3.29 per cent even after the firm reported its highest-ever quarterly profit of Rs 26,994 crore for the April-June quarter, reflecting a growth of 78.3 per cent over the year-ago period, driven by consumer businesses and investment sales.
HCL Tech, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Consultancy Services and ITC were also among the laggards.
"Positive results from banking majors supported the market to rebound after many days of consolidation. The market remains highly reactive to earnings, indicating that investors remain focused on the earnings front to aid valuation," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.
The initial reaction to earnings from heavyweights like Reliance, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank led to sharp swings, Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said.
The market currently reflects a tug-of-war between bulls and bears, with the focus primarily on earnings for further direction, he added.
The BSE midcap gauge climbed 0.55 per cent, while smallcap index ended flat, down 0.01 per cent.
Among BSE sectoral indices, capital goods jumped 1.33 per cent, bankex (1.28 per cent), financial services (1.26 per cent), metal (0.98 per cent), commodities (0.73 per cent), auto (0.66 per cent) and consumer discretionary (0.63 per cent).
Oil & Gas declined 0.70 per cent, FMCG (0.49 per cent), IT (0.30 per cent), BSE Focused IT (0.27 per cent) and teck (0.13 per cent).
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng settled in positive territory. Equity markets were closed in Japan for a holiday.
European markets were trading lower. The US markets ended on a mixed note on Friday.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 374.74 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.48 per cent to USD 68.93 a barrel.
On Friday, the Sensex tanked 501.51 points or 0.61 per cent to settle at 81,757.73. The Nifty dropped 143.05 points or 0.57 per cent to close at 24,968.40.
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Oppn, X users flag concerns over US envoy Sergio Gor’s visit to Army’s western command
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.”
Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) February 16, 2026
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.”
Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings.
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) February 16, 2026
Didn't they say then "Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?"
Compared to that, this is very small. pic.twitter.com/gNNuAGQBPC
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.”
Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that. 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… pic.twitter.com/rYMq5NhJHA
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) February 16, 2026
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?”
Why an ambassador visiting our army places ? To talk to chandigarh lobby for f-35 ??
— Rohan Sagar (@RohanSagar03) February 16, 2026
“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.
The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?
— Aditya Pratap Singh (@Adi_IIMCIAN) February 16, 2026
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.
