Stock Market: Sensex, Nifty Close With Marginal Gains Amid Volatility. PSU Bank Indices Shine

Stock update: On the 30-share Sensex platform, Bajaj Finance was the lead gainer, up 2.38 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, Airtel, SBI, ICICI Bank

The two key equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty, on Tuesday closed marginally higher, led by gains in select financial shares amid mixed global cues.  The BSE Sensex closed at 60,130, up 75 points. On the other hand, the NSE Nifty ended at 17,769, up 26 points.

On the 30-share Sensex platform, Bajaj Finance was the lead gainer, up 2.38 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, Airtel, SBI, ICICI Bank. On the downside, HDFC Bank, HDFC, TechM, Sun Pharma, Axis Bank, Wipro were among the losers.

In the broader markets, the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices ended on a flat note.

Shares of Welspun India surged 3 per cent as the company is set to consider buyback proposal on April 27. Those of Mahindra Lifespace, meanwhile, added 2 per cent after the company said it has secured project to redevelop a housing society in Mumbai with an expected revenue potential of Rs 850 crore.

On the downside, Ipca Labs shares tumbled 8 per cent. The board approved the acquisition of 33.38 per cent of the paid-up share capital of Unichem Laboratories for Rs 1,034 crore from one of its promoter shareholders. Ipca is acquiring the stake at Rs 440 per equity share.

Among sectors, power and PSU Bank indices were up 1 per cent each, while metal, infra, oil & gas and realty gained 0.5 per cent each.

In the previous session on Monday, the S&P BSE Sensex rallied 401 points (0.67 per cent) to end at 60,056. On the other hand, the Nifty50 surpassed the 17,700-mark to settle at 17,743, up 119 points.

Elsewhere in Asia, equity markets in Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong suffered losses, while Tokyo logged gains. Equity exchanges in Europe were trading in the red in mid-session deals. Markets in the US closed on a mixed note on Monday.

International oil benchmark Brent crude fell 0.29 per cent to $82.49 per barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded shares worth a net Rs 412.27 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.

The rupee traded in a narrow range and settled on a flat note at 81.92 (provisional) against the US dollar amid rising crude oil prices and foreign fund outflows.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 81.95 against the US currency and finally closed at 81.92 (provisional) against the greenback, unchanged from its previous close.

During the session, the rupee touched a high of 81.86 and a low of 81.96 against the dollar. The rupee on Monday settled at 81.92 against the US dollar.