Shares below Rs 100: Only buyers were seen in these stocks on December 21!

BSE Healthcare surprised investors with gains of about 2 per cent in such a lackluster market, led by IOL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals.

Asian markets experienced mixed investor sentiments. Although Indian headline indices started the day higher, losses in the FMCG, oil & gas and energy sectors rapidly pushed them down. Contrarily, BSE Healthcare surprised investors with gains of about 2 per cent in such a lackluster market, led by IOL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals.  

Shares of IOL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals climbed over 15 per cent, making it the top gainer among BSE Small-Cap stocks. Pharmaceutical stocks Panacea Biotec, Solara Active Pharma Sciences and Morepen Laboratories were also heavily purchased.  

At 12:45 pm, the BSE Sensex plunged 0.53 per cent, reaching a level of 61,375. The Nifty 50 index fell 0.48 per cent to the 18,296 level. On the Sensex, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Tech Mahindra and HCL Technologies were the Top Gainers, whereas Maruti Suzuki, ICICI Bank and HDFC were the Top Losers.   

The rupee depreciated against the US dollar in early trade today as a result of the strengthening of the US currency, while Wall Street indices ended the last session modestly higher. In order to support the rupee, which is trading at a significantly lower level, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sold USD 922 million worth of foreign currency in October.  

Following is the list of low-priced stocks that were locked in the upper circuit on December 21: