Benchmark indices ended marginally higher, extending gains for a second session in a volatile trade on August 14, reflecting caution ahead of the Trump-Putin summit, slated to take place tomorrow.
At close, the Sensex was up 57.75 points or 0.07 percent at 80,597.66, and the Nifty was up 11.95 points or 0.05 percent at 24,631.30. The BSE midcap index was down 0.2 percent, while smallcap index shed 0.6 percent.
For the week, BSE Sensex and Nifty added a percent each, snapping a six-week losing streak.
The market will remain shut on Friday on account of Independence Day.
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Wipro, Eternal, HDFC Life, Infosys, Asian Paints were among major gainers on the Nifty, while losers included Tata Steel, Adani Ports, Tech Mahindra, Hero MotoCorp, Bharat Electronics.
On the sectoral front, metal and oil and gas down a percent each, realty and FMCG down 0.5% each, while Consumer Durables and IT rose 0.5 percent each.
In stock-specific action, Muthoot Finance shares rose nearly 10 percent on strong quarter, GMR Airports shares added 2.5% on LoI to run Cargo City at the Delhi airport, Infosys ended higher after acquiring 75% shareholding in Versent Group, and Endurance Technologies shares added 3% on strong June quarter earnings.
Texmaco Rail and Engineering shares fell 5% as Q1 profit slipped by 50%, Deepak Nitrite shares shed 2% on weak Q1, and Man Infra shares shed nearly 5% as fall in net profit.
Anthem Biosciences shares surged 9 percent on strong show in CRDMO and specialty business, Engineers India shares down 5% after Q1 profit declines 28%, Surya Roshni share price plunged 10% after Q1 consolidated profit slipped 63%, ITI share price slipped 3% despite narrowing losses, Pfizer share price rose 4% after Q1 profit jumped 27%.
More than 100 stocks touched their 52-week highs on the BSE, including Muthoot Finance, Craftsman Automation, Vishal Mega Mart, Eternal, Interglobe Aviation, Anupam Rasayan, Delhivery, M&M, Apollo Hospitals, Hyundai Motor, Sai Life Sciences, TVS Motor, Fortis Healthcare, among others. Click to View More
Outlook for August 18
Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities
Nifty witnessed a lackluster trading session, remaining range-bound ahead of the Trump–Putin meeting on Friday. The overall sentiment is likely to favour bullish trades as long as the index holds above 24,337.
On the higher side, resistance is placed at 24,660 and 24,850, while a fall below 24,337 could trigger a resumption of the bearish trend.
Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking
Markets traded lackluster on the weekly expiry day and ended almost unchanged. After a flat start, the Nifty oscillated within a narrow range before finally settling at 24,631.30 level. Meanwhile, a mixed trend across sectors kept participants engaged, with IT, financials, and banking ending in the green, while metal, energy, and realty were among the top losers. However, the recent decline resumed in the broader indices after a short-lived bounce, with both the midcap and smallcap indices losing nearly half a percent each.
The prevailing consolidation suggests that markets have largely digested recent negatives and are now awaiting a trigger for recovery. Additionally, oversold positions in heavyweights across sectors are further supporting this possibility.
Going forward, a decisive break above 24,800 on the Nifty could spark fresh momentum; otherwise, consolidation may persist. Participants should maintain a stock-specific trading approach with a focus on risk management.
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