Share Market News: The two key equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty, on Friday settled flat amid volatility. The S&P BSE Sensex, which touched a new high of 75,636.5 in the intraday trade, closed at 75,410, down 8 points. On the other hand, the NSE Nifty50 that surpassed the 23,000-mark fell 11 points to end at 22,957.
Stock update
On the 30-share Sensex platform, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, L&T, NTPC, Ultracemco, Axis Bank were some of the top performing stocks on the BSE benchmark. On the downside, Asian Paints, TechM, ITC, M&M, TCS, Titan were among the top losers.
In the broader market, the BSE Midcap index hit a new peak of 43,778 while the BSE Smallcap touched 48,353 level. Both the indices ended 0.23 per cent higher and 0.20 per cent lower, respectively.
Sector update
Sectorwise, Nifty Bank and Private Bank indices added 0.4 per cent each. On the other hand, Nifty FMCG declined 0.8 per cent.
In the previous session on Thursday, the BSE Sensex closed at an all-time peak of 75,418.04, up by 1,197 points. The NSE Nifty inched closer to the 23,000 mark during the day on Thursday. The 50-issue index went up by 369.85 points or 1.64 per cent to 22,968.
"After making fresh highs above 23,000 in early trade, Nifty settled flat. Shares mostly fell in Europe and Asia on Friday after unexpectedly strong reports on the US economy raised the possibility of interest rates staying high," said Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities.
Global update
In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong settled lower. European markets were trading with cuts. Wall Street ended in negative territory on Thursday.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.73 per cent to $80.77 a barrel.
Rupee rises 18 paise
Meanwhile, the rupee rallied for the fourth consecutive trading session on Friday and appreciated by 18 paise to settle at 83.11 (provisional) against the US dollar on fresh foreign fund inflows and suspected intervention by the RBI. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 83.26 and moved in the range of 83.03 and 83.26 against the greenback during the session.
The local unit finally settled at 83.11 (provisional) against the dollar, registering a rise of 18 paise from its previous close. In the last four trading sessions the local unit has added 39 paise against the American currency.
The forex market was closed on Thursday on account of 'Buddha Purnima'. On Wednesday, the rupee appreciated by 2 paise to settle at 83.29 against the US dollar.