MUMBAI – The four-day slide stopped on Friday, but the Nifty still could not hold 24,000. The Sensex rose 363 points to 76,515. The Nifty gained 24 points to 23,898 after briefly touching 24,006. It closed near the day’s lows. Crossing the level and failing to stay above it leaves 24,000 as resistance rather than support.
Metal stocks led the recovery. Tata Steel rose 2.5%, Reliance added 1.5% and SBI Life climbed 3.5%. Private banks and oil & gas also moved higher. The gains were selective. Selling continued in several large names – HCL Technologies fell nearly 2%, Bharti Airtel lost 1.6% and Maruti declined 1.3%.
Auto, IT, PSU banks, pharma and realty all ended lower.
Capital-market stocks had a separate lift after SEBI said it would review the settlement-price methodology for derivatives following concerns over the new Closing Auction Session.
BSE, Angel One, Groww and Motilal Oswal rose on the news.
Foreign investors remained net sellers. The rupee closed at ₹94.49. Brent stayed near $96 a barrel on continued US-Iran tension. Expensive crude continues to limit how far any rebound can run.
The weekly picture is still weak. Both the Nifty and Sensex recorded their fourth consecutive weekly decline. Friday changed the direction for one session. It did not change the recent trend. Until the index can close and hold above 24,000, the recovery remains fragile.
