MUMBAI – The Nifty and Sensex ended higher on Thursday, but the gains remained limited as crude oil stayed above $102 a barrel. The Nifty 50 gained 46.30 points, or 0.20%, to close at 23,477.80, while the BSE Sensex rose 138.36 points, or 0.19%, to 74,902.59.
The recovery came after both indices traded in negative territory for much of the session. Brent crude remained above $102 a barrel, while the rupee hovered near ₹95 against the US dollar, keeping concerns over India’s import costs and inflation alive.
Foreign investors remained sellers, offloading around ₹583 crore of Indian equities. Domestic institutional investors provided stronger support, buying nearly ₹1,509 crore.
The stock market was sharply divided. Power Grid rose 1.82%, while Tech Mahindra and Bharti Airtel also gained. Tata Steel fell 1.62%, IndiGo declined 1.27% and ICICI Bank dropped 1.01%. ONGC gained around 1.4%, helped by higher crude prices.
The broader market failed to match the benchmark recovery. Mid-cap stocks fell around 0.4% and small-caps slipped about 0.1%, showing that Thursday’s gains were concentrated largely in selected large-cap stocks.
The closing move was also unusually sharp. Buying during the new closing auction session lifted the Nifty and Sensex from losses into positive territory, making the final figures look stronger than the regular-session trend.
The September picture remains weak. The Nifty is down about 2.5% this month, while the Sensex has lost roughly 2.7%.
Thursday’s gains followed Wednesday’s 0.86% Nifty fall and 1.08% Sensex decline, leaving investors still focused on crude, foreign selling and the rupee rather than treating the session as a confirmed market reversal.
