Closing Bell: Benchmarks close near the day's low; VIX rises by more than 9 per cent

Nifty ended the day below 16,150, reversing the day's high of 16,262.80 touched during the afternoon session.

Following a turbulent session on Tuesday, the major equity indices closed on a lower note. Nifty ended the day below 16,150, reversing the day's high of 16,262.80 touched during the afternoon session. IT, metals, and pharmaceutical stocks fell while financials & private banks rose. NSE's India VIX, which measures the market's anticipation of near-term volatility, increased 9.56 per cent to 25.64.  

BSE Sensex closed with a loss today, falling by 236 points to close at 54,052 levels. BSE Midcap index too slipped 189 points to end the day at 22,259 levels. Likewise, BSE Smallcap index also plunged 289 points to close at 25,883 levels. The top stocks on BSE Sensex today were Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC Bank, and Power Grid Corporation of India. However, the Top Losers were Tech Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, HCL Technologies, Asian Paints, and NTPC.  

Nifty 50 ended at 16,125 levels with a decline of 89 points only. Similarly, Bank Nifty increased 42 points and closed the day at 34,290 levels. The top gaining stocks were Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Power Grid Corporation of India, and HDFC Bank. The top losers today include Divi’s Laboratories, Tech Mahindra, Grasim Industries, Hindustan Unilever, and Hindalco Industries.  

The total stocks traded today were 3,430, out of which, 1,042 advanced and 2,266 stocks declined. There were 122 stocks that were unchanged. The number of stocks that were locked in the upper circuit was 187 and the number of stocks that closed in the lower circuit today was 271. Around 70 stocks touched a new 52-week high today while there were 77 stocks that made a fresh 52-week low today.