BENGALURU
India’s blue-chip indexes logged record closing highs on Monday, led by gains in state-owned companies, with mid-cap stocks also extending their record run after a healthy start to the earnings season.
The NSE Nifty 50 (.NSEI), opens new tab rose as much as 0.54% to a record high of 24,635.05 during the session. It settled 0.35% higher at 24,586.7, while the S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN), opens new tab added 0.18% to end at 80,664.86.
Both the benchmarks have logged record closing highs for two straight sessions since TCS (TCS.NS), opens new tab and HCLTech (HCLT.NS), opens new tab posted higher quarterly revenue, signalling a recovery in demand for IT companies and starting the earnings season on a strong note.
Investors’ optimism is driven by the better-than-expected results from the IT companies and positive expectations from the national budget due on July 23, said Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Financial Services.
Analysts expect the government to continue with its focus on capex-linked sectors like infrastructure and manufacturing, while also announcing measures to boost consumption.
On the day, state-run explorer Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS), opens new tab climbed 5%, the most on the Nifty, and hit a record high after multiple block deals at a price premium. The oil and gas index (.NIFOILGAS), opens new tab added 2%.
Meanwhile, State Bank of India (SBI.NS), opens new tab, India’s top public sector lender, jumped 2.65% after raising its marginal cost of lending rate (MCLR).
The likelihood that its peers could do the same powered state-owned banks (.NIFTYPSU), opens new tab about 3% higher, with all 12 constituents logging gains.
The more domestically-focussed mid-cap index (.NIFMDCP100), opens new tab rose 0.86% to a record high, for the fourth time in six sessions, while, small-cap index (.NIFSMCP100), opens new tab advanced 0.52%.
IT stocks (.NIFTYIT), opens new tab hit a record high during the session, boosted by HCLTech, but reversed to close 0.29% lower. That, said analysts, was due to profit booking after an 8% rally in the two weeks on strong results and firming expectations of a Rate cut in the U.S., a key revenue geography.
