Sensex, Nifty 50 rise for 4th consecutive session— 10 key highlights from the Indian stock market today

The Indian stock market stayed in positive territory for the fourth consecutive session on Tuesday, August 19, as GST rationalisation and India’s credit rating upgrade kept investor risk appetite intact.

The Sensex closed 371 points, or 0.46 per cent, higher at 81,644.39, while the Nifty 50 settled at 24,980.65, up 104 points, or 0.42 per cent. The BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices outperformed, rising by a percentage each.

Shares of Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel and Tata Motors ended as the top contributors to the gains in the benchmarks.

Investors earned about ₹4 lakh crore in a single session as the overall market capitalisation of the firms listed on the BSE rose to nearly ₹455 crore from ₹451 lakh crore in the previous session.

The market’s rally is being driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of GST rationalisation, S&P Global’s upgrade of India’s credit rating, and optimism over a possible end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

"The national market continued the renewed momentum, buoyed by expectations of GST rationalisation and a recent upgrade in India's credit rating. Additional optimism came from signs of easing geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, shifting the near-term outlook from consolidation to a more constructive stance," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, observed.

"Small- and mid-cap stocks outperformed, with auto stocks leading gains, driven by hopes that China may address supply concerns related to rare earth magnets," said Nair.

As many as 28 stocks ended higher in the Nifty index, with Tata Motors (up 3.62 per cent), Adani Ports (up 3.22 per cent), and Reliance Industries (up 2.84 per cent) ending as the top gainers.

Shares of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (down 1.40 per cent), Cipla (down 1.15 per cent), and Hindalco Industries (down 1.03 per cent) closed as the top losers.

All sectoral indices ended higher, except Nifty Pharma (down 0.34 per cent), Financial Services (down 0.06 per cent), and Healthcare (down 0.05 per cent).

Nifty Oil & Gas (up 1.66 per cent), Media (up 1.34 per cent), Auto (up 1.31 per cent), FMCG (up 1.05 per cent), PSU Bank (up 0.98 per cent), and Metal (up 0.75 per cent) ended with significant gains.

Nifty Bank ended with a mild gain of 0.23 per cent, while the Private Bank index climbed 0.42 per cent.

Ola Electric Mobility (58.32 crore shares), Vodafone Idea (35.3 crore shares), and Suzlon (10 crore shares) were the most active stocks in terms of volume on the NSE.

HLE Glascoat, Alphalogic Industries, KIOCL, Davin Sons Retail, and Sharma East India Hospitals & Medical Research were among the 13 stocks that jumped over 15 per cent on the BSE.

(This is a developing story. Please check back for fresh updates.)

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stories by Nishant Kumar

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