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It was another day of gains for the Indian stock market as bulls continued to dominate Dalal Street, pushing both benchmark indices to their sixth consecutive positive close. Though traders booked profits at higher levels, the Nifty 50 and Sensex still managed to end in the green.

A notable trend in the recent rally has been the change in sectoral rotation, with different sectors taking turns to lead. Today, pharma stocks drove the gains, while FMCG, auto, and consumer durables—which had supported the rally earlier—saw some profit booking.

The Nifty 50 ended with a marginal gain of 0.13% at 25,083, while the Sensex advanced 0.17% to 82,000. The broader markets, however, failed to maintain their upward trend, with both the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 closing with mild losses.

Optimism in the Indian stock market has been fueled by the government’s plan to cut GST rates across key categories, which continues to support the rally despite near-term headwinds such as the fast-approaching deadline for an additional 25% US tariff hike.

However, the proposed GST rationalisation has so far failed to shift the sentiment of overseas investors, who continue to offload shares through the exchanges. Analysts believe that a reversal in sentiment among foreign investors may only emerge once tariff tensions between India and the US ease.

Meanwhile, Evgeniy Griva, Russia’s Deputy Trade Representative to India, reportedly announced a 5% discount on Russian crude oil for India, subject to negotiation. The discount, offered in the wake of US tariffs and sanctions, is aimed at maintaining stable supplies, as India currently imports 36–40% of its crude oil from Russia.

NAVA emerged as the top gainer in the Nifty 500 pack, rising 13% to ₹675 apiece. During intraday trade, it also touched a fresh all-time high of ₹710.

IDBI Bank shares ended with a gain of 9% at ₹98.2 as sentiment improved after DIPAM Secretary Arunish Chawla said that qualified interested bidders for the stake sale of IDBI Bank have nearly completed due diligence for the divestment, with the process likely to conclude by next month.

The Centre has already completed divestments worth ₹20,000 crore in Q1FY26, out of the targeted ₹47,000 crore for the fiscal year. The IDBI Bank stake sale, after multiple delays, is now progressing and is seen as a key element of the government’s broader divestment strategy.

Lemon Tree Hotels extended its bull run for the second straight day, rising another 7% to ₹168. Tejas Networks, which had faced sharp selling pressure earlier, saw a shift in sentiment, gaining 7% to ₹620, while India Cements advanced 5.6% to ₹390.

Meanwhile, Reliance Power continued to gain strength, hitting the 5% upper circuit for the third straight session at ₹50. PG Electroplast climbed 4.2% to ₹559 as it attempted to recover from the severe sell-off witnessed in recent sessions.

(more to come)

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