Sensex and Nifty, the two key equity benchmarks, ended higher on Wednesday for the second session in a row ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision. The S&P BSE Sensex hit a high of 58,419 and a low of 58,064, before settling at 58,215, up 140 points or 0.24 per cent at the closing bell. Meanwhile, the Nifty50 ended at 17,143, up 35 points or 0.2 per cent. It traded between 17,207 and 17,108 during the day.
On the 30-share Sensex platform, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, IndusInd Bank, Tata Motors, and TCS were major gainers. On the flip side, NTPC, Axis Bank, Nestle India, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank, and Bharti Airtel were among the losers.
Among specific stocks, HDFC life, Bajaj FIanace, Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, and Tata Consumer Products were among the top gainers. On the other hand, losers included BPCL, Coal India, NTPC, Adani Ports, and Axis Bank.,
In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices gained up to 0.5 per cent.
Sectorwise, the Nifty Pharma index advanced 1 per cent, followed by the Nifty PSU bank added 0.8 per cent. Most sectoral indices ended in the green. Metal, Realty, and Media ended in the red in today’s session.
In the previous session on Tuesday, the S&P BSE Sensex surged 446 points, or 0.77 per cent, to settle at 58,075, while the Nifty50 closed at 17,107, higher by 119 points or 0.70 per cent.
US and UK stock futures were mixed in the run-up to the interest rate decision by the Federal Reserve. S&P 500 futures fell 0.2 per cent, Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.3 per cent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures fell 0.1 per cent
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Elsewhere in Asia, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 1.5 per cent, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose 1 per cent
US Federal Reserve is expected to hike interest rates by a quarter percentage point amid turmoil in the banking sector. Two-day monetary policy meeting will end on Wednesday.
The global oil benchmark Brent crude slipped 0.31 per cent to $75.09 per barrel.
According to exchange data, foreign Portfolio Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 1,454.63 crore on Tuesday.