The Indian market ended in the green on Friday, snapping a three-day losing streak, as a rally in financial stocks fuelled by the Reserve Bank of India’s move to ease provisioning norms for project financing, helped offset concerns over rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East that could cap further gains.
The BSE Sensex advanced 1046.30 points, or 1.29%, to close at 82,408.17, while the NSE Nifty added 319.15 points, or 1.29%, to settle at 25,112.40.
Here’s how analysts read the market pulse:
The national equity indices surged as Middle East tension moderated with risk of immediate military actions reduced as U.S. dialogue with Iran is expected to take place, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments, adding that the development led the crude price to correct, favouring domestic markets and boosting foreign investors’ sentiments.
“In the broader market, rapid fall in VIX index and buying was witnessed in rate sensitives and consumer oriented sectors like Finance, Auto and Reality and in anticipation of better Q1FY26 results led by rate cuts benefits, drop in inflationary pressure and rebound in consumer spending,” said Nair.
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US markets
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq slipped on Friday as escalating tensions between Iran and Israel kept investors cautious ahead of the weekend, with uncertainty around potential U.S. involvement weighing on sentiment.
The S&P 500 declined 13.03 points, or 0.22%, to close at 5,967.84, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 98.86 points, or 0.51%, to 19,447.41. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a modest gain, rising 35.16 points, or 0.08%, to finish at 42,206.82. For the week, the Dow was largely unchanged, the S&P 500 edged down 0.2%, and the Nasdaq managed a 0.2% gain.
European Markets
European stocks ended higher on Friday, breaking a three-day losing streak, as investor sentiment steadied amid signs the U.S. may hold off deeper involvement in Middle East tensions.
The pan-European STOXX 600 edged up 0.1% at the close.
Tech View
The Nifty moved up sharply after three days of consolidation, resuming its short-term rally, said Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, adding that the index has reclaimed the 21-day EMA, which could provide further momentum for an upward move.
“Support is now placed at 24,850, and the index remains a ‘buy on dips’ as long as it holds above this level. On the higher side, it may continue advancing towards 25,350 and beyond,” said De.
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Most active stocks in terms of turnover
Trent (Rs 6,139 crore), BEL (Rs 4,994 crore), Reliance Industries Ltd (Rs 4,243 crore), Waaree Energies (Rs 3,975 crore), HDFC Bank (Rs 3,225 crore), Bharti Airtel (Rs 3,129 crore) and Nestle India (Rs 2,706 crore) were among the most active stocks on BSE in value terms. Higher activity in a counter in value terms can help identify the counters with highest trading turnovers in the day.
Most active stocks in volume terms
Vodafone Idea (Traded shares: 52.29 crore), Vishal Mega Mart (Traded shares: 16.80 crore), Suzlon Energy (Traded shares: 15.53 crore), YES Bank (Traded shares: 13.75 crore), BEL (Traded shares: 12.25 crore), JP Power (Traded shares: 8.11 crore) and GMR Airports (Traded shares: 7.18 crore) were among the most actively traded stocks in volume terms on NSE.
Stocks showing buying interest
Shares of Waaree Energies, BEML, RattanIndia Infra, Endurance Technologies, Premier Energies, KFIN Technologies and J B Chemicals were among the stocks that witnessed strong buying interest from market participants.
52 Week high
Over 83 stocks hit their 52 week highs today while 84 stocks slipped to their 52-week lows. Among the ones which hit their 52 week highs included Bharti Airtel.
Stocks seeing selling pressure
Stocks which witnessed significant selling pressure were Concord Biotech, Eris Lifesciences, AstraZeneca Pharma India, Intellect Design, Gillette India, India Cements and JBM Auto.
Sentiment meter bullish
The market sentiments were bullish. Out of the 4,094 stocks that traded on the BSE on Friday, 1,545 stocks witnessed declines, 2,411 saw advances, while 138 stocks remained unchanged.
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(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)