Indices in the Red as FMCG and IT Stocks Lead Decline

With 1,289 shares rising on the NSE and 1,192 shares declining, the advance-decline ratio, which strongly favoured advances in the first half of the trading session, became neutral.

Market Update at 3:45 PM: The Indian frontline indices concluded Saturday's volatile trading session on a considerably lower note. The BSE Sensex witnessed a 0.36 per cent decline, closing at the 71,423 level, while the Nifty 50 index experienced a 0.23 per cent loss, settling at 21,571.

Contrastingly, broader indices sustained their strength during the session. The Nifty Midcap 100 registered a 0.52 per cent gain, reaching 48,063, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 recorded an increase of 0.20 per cent, reaching 15,519.

Nifty PSU Bank, Nifty Bank, and Nifty Financial Services emerged as the top gainers, whereas Nifty FMCG, Nifty IT and Nifty Pharma recorded significant losses.

Coal India, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone and Kotak Mahindra Bank stood out as the top gainers, while Hindustan Unilever, Tata Consultancy Services and Mahindra & Mahindra were among the prominent losers within the Nifty 50.

With 1,289 shares rising on the NSE and 1,192 shares declining, the advance-decline ratio, which strongly favoured advances in the first half of the trading session, became neutral.

Market Update at 2:25 PM:  Indian headline indices were struggling to gain momentum and were trading flat. At 2:25 pm, the BSE Sensex fell 0.15 per cent, reaching a level of 71,574. The Nifty 50 index edged lower by 0.08 per cent to the 21,604 level.

Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Bank demonstrated resilience, spearheading the gains, while Nifty Media and Nifty Financial Services sustained their positive performance. Conversely, losses in information technology, FMCG, and pharmaceutical sectors exerted pressure on the indices.

Coal India, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Power Grid Corporation of India stood out as the top gainers, while Hindustan Unilever, Tata Consultancy Services and HCL Technologies were among the prominent losers within the Nifty 50.

With 1,364 shares rising on the NSE and 1,081 shares declining, the advance-decline ratio still remained in favour of advances.

Market Update at 12:30 PM: Following a positive start to the trading session, indices later pared back some of the initial gains, settling to trade flat. At 12:30 pm, the BSE Sensex edged up by 0.05 per cent, reaching a level of 71,717. The Nifty 50 index added 0.10 per cent to the 21,644 level.

Mixed investor sentiment was evident across sectors, with Nifty Media, Nifty Oil & Gas, Nifty Financial Services, and Nifty Bank posting significant gains, while Nifty FMCG, Nifty Realty, and Nifty Information Technology registered notable losses.

Coal India, Power Grid Corporation of India and Apollo Hospitals stood out as the top gainers, while Hindustan Unilever, Tata Consultancy Services and IndusInd Bank were among the leading losers within the Nifty 50.

With 1,427 shares rising on the NSE and 974 shares declining, the advance-decline ratio strongly remained in favour of advances.

Market Update at 11:15 AM: Domestic indices were undergoing heightened volatility, fluctuating between modest gains and losses. At 11:15 am, the BSE Sensex gained 0.18 per cent, reaching a level of 71,808. The Nifty 50 index added 0.21 per cent to the 21,667 level. The Nifty Midcap 100 recorded a gain of 0.77 per cent, reaching 48,182, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 surged by 0.45 per cent to the level of 15,557.

Nifty Media, Nifty Financial Services, and Nifty Bank emerged as the top gainers, whereas Nifty FMCG, Nifty Realty and Nifty Pharma recorded notable losses.

Coal India, Power Grid Corporation of India and NTPC stood out as the top gainers, while Hindustan Unilever, IndusInd Bank and Tata Consultancy Services were among the prominent losers within the Nifty 50.

With 1,393 shares rising on the NSE and 959 shares declining, the advance-decline ratio strongly remained in favour of advances.

Market Update at 9:40 AM: On Saturday, Indian benchmark indices kicked off the trading day with a notable surge, as the BSE Sensex opened significantly higher by 0.45 per cent, and the Nifty 50 also saw an opening gain of 0.39 per cent.  

Investor optimism was evident in the broader markets, as both the BSE Mid-cap index and BSE Small-cap index outperformed the main indices, securing gains of around 0.60 per cent each.

Nifty Media, Nifty Financial Services, and Nifty Bank emerged as the top gainers, whereas Nifty FMCG and Nifty Information Technology witnessed notable declines.

HDFC Bank, Coal India, and NTPC stood out as the top gainers, while Hindustan Unilever, Wipro, and UltraTech Cement Company were among the prominent losers within the Nifty 50.

With 1,454 shares rising on the NSE and 620 shares declining, the advance-decline ratio strongly remained in favour of advances.

Pre-Market Update at 8:20 AM: The S&P 500 secured its first record high close in two years on Friday, with a boost from the performance of technology shares, solidifying the presence of a bullish market. The S&P 500 rallied by 1.23 per cent, closing the session at 4,839 points. The Nasdaq Composite index saw a 1.70 per cent uptick, reaching 15,311 points, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed by 1.05 per cent to reach 37,864 points.

Signals from the GIFT Nifty point towards a favourable opening for the key indices in India.

Despite a marginal decline in oil prices on Friday, there was a weekly gain driven by heightened tensions in the Middle East and disruptions to oil output. These factors managed to offset concerns surrounding the Chinese and global economies.

Brent futures concluded 54 cents down at USD 78.56 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped by 67 cents to settle at USD 73.41.

On January 19, 2024, foreign institutional investors (FII) offloaded shares worth Rs 3,690 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DII) bought shares worth Rs 2,638 crore.

Stocks that are banned for trading in the F&O segment on January 20, 2024, are Oracle Financial Services Software, RBL Bank, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, Balrampur Chini Mills, Delta Corp, Hindustan Copper, Indian Energy Exchange, National Aluminium Company, Polycab India, SAIL and Zee Entertainment Enterprises.