Sensex, Nifty end flat in highly volatile trade on Budget day
Mumbai, Feb 1 (PTI): Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended flat in a special trading session on Saturday as investors saw little coming in from the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for retail investors and the overall markets in the Union Budget.
But, buying in consumption-related sectors after Sitharaman exempted annual income of up to Rs 12 lakh from income tax and rejigged tax slabs as part of her reformist Budget prevented any major fall in the markets.
The markets were open on Saturday due to the presentation of the Union Budget.
Earlier, markets were open on Saturdays when the Budgets were presented on February 1, 2020 and February 28, 2015.
In a day market with heavy volatility, the 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex eked out a marginal gain of 5.39 points or 0.01 per cent to settle at 77,505.96. During the day, it hit a high of 77,899.05 and a low of 77,006.47, gyrating 892.58 points.
The NSE Nifty dipped 26.25 points or 0.11 per cent to settle at 23,482.15. Intra-day, the benchmark scaled a high of 23,632.45 and a low of 23,318.30.
The BSE midcap gauge declined 0.49 per cent while smallcap index climbed 0.28 per cent.
Among BSE sectoral indices, realty soared 3.69 per cent, FMCG zoomed (2.91 per cent), consumer discretionary jumped 2.89 per cent, consumer durables rallied 2.47 per cent, auto (1.75 per cent) and services (0.85 per cent).
Capital Goods tanked 3.02 per cent, industrials (2.68 per cent), power (2.63 per cent), utilities (2.15 per cent), oil & gas (1.72 per cent) and commodities (0.99 per cent).
Markets were rallying for the past four days.
On the weekly front, the BSE benchmark jumped 1,315.5 points or or 1.72 per cent, and the Nifty went up by 389.95 points or 1.68 per cent.
"The market has responded to the Union budget with a mixed view, primarily due to the modest 10 per cent YoY increase in capex for FY26, falling short of expectations. Sectors like railways, defense, and infra are affected on which the market relies for the performance, dampening the sentiment," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services, said.
On the other hand, Nair said, consumption-based sectors, which are expected to benefit the most, had a low effect on the broad market due to their modest market mix position.
"While the Budget failed to cheer the markets, sectoral stocks from consumer durables, FMCG, and automobile space attracted significant buying interest after the government announced major income tax relief for the salaried class. With salaried income up to Rs 12 lakh per annum exempted from any tax, consumption is expected to get a major boost which is reflected positively across most of the consumption-related sectors," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.
In a relief to the middle class, Sitharaman exempted annual income of up to Rs 12 lakh from income tax and rejigged tax slabs as part of her reformist Budget.
Presenting her eighth straight Budget in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman laid out a blueprint for next generation reforms including raising FDI limit in insurance sector, simplification of tax laws, cutting duties on intermediaries while providing enhanced fiscal support for welfare measures.
This she did while sticking to the fiscal consolidation roadmap that projected the fiscal deficit to come down to 4.4 per cent of the GDP in the financial year 2025-26.
For the current financial year fiscal deficit has been pegged at 4.8 per cent of GDP.
"The Union Budget largely played to our expectations, particularly with the much-needed income tax relief for the middle class, which will drive consumption and economic growth. No changes were made to Securities Transaction Tax or capital gains tax, as anticipated," Pranav Haridasan, MD and CEO, Axis Securities, said.
From the 30-share blue-chip pack, Zomato surged over 7 per cent. Maruti, ITC Hotels, ITC, Mahindra & Mahindra, Asian Paints, Titan and IndusInd Bank were among the biggest gainers.
Power Grid, Larsen & Toubro, NTPC, UltraTech Cement, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Infosys and Adani Ports were among the laggards.
"While the markets might have anticipated a more relaxed fiscal approach, the current stance is satisfactory. Overall, the budget is well-received, incorporating numerous reforms aimed at increasing farm incomes and supporting farmers. There are also considerable measures in place to assist MSMEs and to boost exports, making this a well-rounded budget that addresses the diverse needs of the populace," Vikas Khemani, Founder, Carnelian Asset Management & Advisors, said.
Asian markets are closed on Saturday due to holidays. European markets were also closed.
US markets ended lower on Friday.
According to Vishal Kampani - Vice Chairman and Managing Director, JM Financial Ltd, the budget has touched upon all key elements to accelerate economic growth. It has successfully managed to strike a balance among the trinity – offering fiscal stimulus to consumption, maintaining the fiscal glide path and undertaking reforms to boost growth.
"All in all, it is a growth-focused budget which will boost all the growth levers – manufacturing, access to credit, exports, employment generation, innovation and technology development, sustainability, etc. which will have a multiplier impact on the economy," Kampani said.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,188.99 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.29 per cent to USD 76.67 a barrel.
Rallying for the fourth day running on Friday, the 30-share BSE benchmark ended 740.76 points or 0.97 per cent higher at 77,500.57. The Nifty rallied 258.90 points or 1.11 per cent to 23,508.40.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
