Stock Markets Close Trading Nearly Flat, Nifty Microcap 250 Climbs Over 1%

The Nifty Microcap 250 led the gains and climbed 1.23 per cent during the day, after hitting a fresh 52-week high of 18,935.80 in the trading session.

The two key equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty, on Monday, ended trading at a muted high. The S&P BSE Sensex gained nearly 32 points to close at 72,271.94, while the NSE Nifty50 climbed marginally to settle at 21,741.90, as the first trading session of the New Year came to a close.

On the 30-share Sensex platform, Nestle India, Tech M, Tata Motors, Wipro, and HCL Tech emerged as the prime gainers. On the flip side, Bharti Airtel, M&M, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, and NTPC remained among the losers during the day. 

In the broader markets, the indices closed trading entirely in green. The Nifty Microcap 250 led the gains and climbed 1.23 per cent during the day, after hitting a fresh 52-week high of 18,935.80 in the trading session. Among others, the Nifty Midcap 100 and the Nifty Smallcap 250 gained 0.63 per cent during the day. 

Sectorally, the Nifty Media index jumped 1.78 per cent in the day, followed by the Nifty Oil & Gas index which climbed 0.81 per cent in the day. Among the laggards, the Nifty Financial Services and Auto indices traded in losses at 0.14 per cent and 0.13 per cent respectively. 

In the previous session on Friday, the two key equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty, broke off the week’s rally and dropped during the day. The S&P BSE Sensex dipped 170 points to close at 72,240.26, while the NSE Nifty50 slipped over 50 points to settle at 21,726.45 at the end of the day. 

The domestic rupee depreciated 6 paise to close at 83.22 against the US dollar on Monday, following a muted trend in the domestic equities and demand for dollar from importers. Forex traders noted that the rupee traded in a narrow range in the absence of global cues. At the interbank foreign exchange, the Indian rupee opened at 83.18 against the greenback, and touched an early high of 83.15, before falling to 83.19 against the US dollar, and finally settling at 83.22 (provisional) against the American currency. In the last trading session on Friday, the Indian currency appreciated 4 paise to settle at 83.16 against the American currency.

According to exchange data, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 1,459.12 crore on Friday.