Sensex ends 260 points higher on FII buying, hopes of India-US trade deal
Mumbai, May 2 (PTI): BSE benchmark index Sensex ended 260 points higher on Friday buoyed by optimism surrounding a potential India-US trade deal, record high GST collection in April, and continuous foreign fund inflows.
Moreover, a firm trend in global markets also added to the positive momentum in domestic equities.
After a sharp rally in intra-day trade the 30-share BSE benchmark gauge later trimmed most of the gains and settled 259.75 points or 0.32 per cent higher at 80,501.99. During the day, the benchmark jumped 935.69 points or 1.16 per cent to 81,177.93.
In a volatile trade, the NSE Nifty eked out a marginal gain of 12.50 points or 0.05 per cent to settle at 24,346.70.
"The Nifty-50 surged over 1 per cent during today's session, hitting a high of 24,589 -- its highest level in CY25. However, profit-booking set in, causing the index to pare gains and close marginally higher. Optimism prevails in market sentiments over potential India-US trade deal, sustained foreign fund inflows and record high GST collection in April," Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, said.
From the Sensex firms, Adani Ports jumped over 4 per cent after the firm reported a 50 per cent jump in its March quarter net profit and issued a higher year-on-year revenue growth forecast for the current fiscal, citing strong growth in port volumes and a robust rise in the logistics business.
Bajaj Finance, IndusInd Bank, State Bank of India, Maruti, Tata Motors, ITC, Tata Steel and Reliance Industries were also among the gainers.
Nestle, NTPC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Power Grid and Titan were among the laggards.
"Markets were extremely volatile in the first half and gyrated nearly 1,000 points before turning range-bound to end higher due to selective buying in banking and IT stocks. After the recent upsurge, investors resorted to profit-taking with broader markets ending weak. Due to the fragile global environment amid geopolitical tensions and the ongoing tariff war, investors are not betting big on equities," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.
The BSE midcap gauge declined 0.41 per cent and smallcap index dipped 0.07 per cent.
Among sectoral indices, services jumped 1.67 per cent, oil & gas (0.69 per cent), energy (0.57 per cent), BSE Focused IT (0.49 per cent) and IT (0.45 per cent).
Telecommunication declined 2.06 per cent, consumer durables (1.66 per cent), power (0.96 per cent), utilities (0.93 per cent), metal (0.62 per cent) and realty (0.56 per cent).
According to Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, the recent rally triggered profit-booking and rotation across sectors from broad indices to IT stocks. "Nevertheless, renewed momentum in US-China trade negotiations and a weakening dollar are seen as positive drivers for EMs like India in the medium-term."
Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection rose 12.6 per cent Y-o-Y to an all-time high of about Rs 2.37 lakh crore in April, which the government said shows the resilience of the Indian economy and the effectiveness of cooperative federalism.
Meanwhile, the growth momentum in the Indian manufacturing sector improved in April, with output increasing at the fastest pace since June 2024, on the back of another strong expansion in order books, a monthly survey said on Friday.
The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose from 58.1 in March to 58.2 in April, indicating the strongest improvement in the health of the sector for ten months.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi index, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng settled in the positive territory while Shanghai SSE Composite index ended marginally lower.
European markets were trading higher. US markets ended in the positive zone on Thursday.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.82 per cent to USD 61.62 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 50.57 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
Equity markets were closed on Thursday for 'Maharashtra Day'.
The Sensex declined 46.14 points or 0.06 per cent to settle at 80,242.24 on Wednesday. The Nifty ended marginally lower by 1.75 points or 0.01 per cent at 24,334.20.
On the weekly front, the BSE benchmark jumped 1,289.46 points or 1.62 per cent, and the Nifty climbed 307.35 points or 1.27 per cent.
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Rahul Gandhi to go on two-day Raebareli visit from May 19
Raebareli (UP) (PTI): Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP from Raebareli Rahul Gandhi will arrive here on May 19 on a two-day visit, a Congress office-bearer said on Monday.
Congress district president of Raebareli Pankaj Tiwari said that on the first day, Gandhi will inaugurate a marriage hall at Thakurain Kheda in Bachhrawan. Subsequently, he will address a public meeting in Khiron. In Lalganj, he will participate in a 'mahila samvaad' programme.
He further said that on May 20, he will meet the public during a 'Janata Darshan' programme at the Bhuyemau Guest House. Following this, he will participate in the unveiling of a statue of Veera Pasi and attend a public meeting in Lodhwari.
He will then depart for Amethi.
In Amethi, Gandhi will hold meetings with party functionaries, workers and senior leaders at the party's district headquarters, Congress district unit chief Pradeep Singhal said on Sunday.
According to political observers, this meeting would form a part of the strategic preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, alongside an organisational review.
Discussions during the meeting are likely to focus on strengthening the party organisation down to the booth level, increasing participation of youth and women workers, and accelerating public outreach campaigns across villages.
According to sources, a large number of party workers -- from Gram Sabha to the district level -- have been invited to attend the meeting.
Gandhi is expected to interact directly with workers.
During the one-day visit, the Congress leader will also travel to Poore Ramdeen Pandit -- the native village of late Congress district president Yogendra Mishra -- to meet his family members.
Mishra, considered a close associate of the Gandhi family, passed away on March 1 following a prolonged illness.
Political activities in the district have intensified ahead of Gandhi's visit, and party workers have already started making arrangements for his reception.
Kishori Lal Sharma, the Congress MP from Amethi, is also holding regular meetings with local leaders and functionaries to review the preparations.
