Markets Tread Water: Sensex Dips Slightly, Nifty Edges Up in Range-Bound Trade

Banking and Capital Goods Shine While Media and Metals Falter; Midcaps and Smallcaps See Modest Gains

Indian benchmark indices showed little movement during the range-bound trading session on September 3.

By the end of the day, the Sensex inched down by 4.40 points, or 0.01%, settling at 82,555.44. The Nifty saw a slight gain of 1.10 points, reaching 25,279.80. Advancing shares totaled 1,909, while 1,857 shares fell, and 113 remained unchanged.

Leading Nifty gainers included SBI Life Insurance, ICICI Bank, HDFC Life, Shriram Finance, and Bajaj Finserv. Conversely, ONGC, Infosys, Bajaj Finance, JSW Steel, and Adani Ports were among the Top Losers.

Sector-wise, the bank and capital goods indices each saw a rise of 0.5%, while the media, power, metal, realty, and oil & gas sectors experienced declines ranging from 0.5% to 1.5%.

The BSE midcap index showed slight gains, and the smallcap index increased by 0.5%.

Market Update at 2:10 PM: As of 2:10 PM, the BSE Sensex is slightly down by 0.05%, reaching a level of 82,508. The Nifty 50 index also saw a decline, dropping by 0.14% to 25,269.

However, broader indices are showing resilience. The BSE Mid-Cap Index edged up by 0.21%, while the BSE Small-Cap Index witnessed a more significant gain, rising by approximately 0.67%.

Within the Nifty 50, Hero MotoCorp, Nestlé India, and Titan emerged as Top Gainers, while Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, and JSW Steel were among the major draggers.

On the sectoral front, Nifty Consumer Durables, Nifty Pharma, and Nifty Healthcare led the gains, while Nifty Media, Nifty Metal, and Nifty Energy lagged behind.

Market breadth was positive, with 1,379 shares advancing on the NSE compared to 1,231 shares declining, reflecting a favorable advance-decline ratio.

Market Update at 12:30 PM: At 12:30 pm, the markets exhibited a cautious stance. The BSE Sensex dipped slightly by 0.08%, settling at 82,498, while the Nifty 50 saw a minor drop of 0.07%, reaching 25,260. Despite the muted movement in the major indices, there's still some action to watch out for in the broader market.

Interestingly, the BSE Midcap index edged up by 0.2%, and the Smallcap index climbed 0.6%, showing that investors are finding value in mid- and small-cap stocks even as large caps take a breather.

On the sectoral front, Nifty Consumer Durables, Nifty Pharma, and Nifty Healthcare Index were the top performers, showcasing resilience in an otherwise subdued market.Conversely, Nifty Media, Nifty PSU Banks, and Nifty Metal emerged as the notable laggards.

Within the Nifty 50, Nestle India, Hero MotoCorp, and Hindustan Unilever were among the leading gainers, benefiting from positive market sentiment.On the flip side, Bajaj Finance, Britannia , and Adani Ports dragged the index lower. 

With 1390 shares rising on the NSE and 1163 shares declining, the advance-decline ratio remained in favour of Advances.

Market Update at 11:15 AM: the BSE Sensex recorded a marginal decline of 0.08%, positioning itself at 82,491, while the Nifty 50 index dropped slightly by 0.07%, reaching 25,261. The overall market sentiment remained cautious, with investors treading carefully amidst mixed global cues and domestic economic indicators. This subtle decline in the frontline indices reflects a wait-and-watch approach, as market participants digest key developments.

On the sectoral front, Nifty Consumer Durables, Nifty Pharma, and Nifty FMCG were the top performers, showcasing resilience in an otherwise subdued market.Conversely, Nifty Media, Nifty PSU Banks, and Nifty Energy emerged as the notable laggards.

Within the Nifty 50, Nestle India, Hero MotoCorp, and Hindustan Unilever were among the leading gainers, benefiting from positive market sentiment.On the flip side, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, and Axis Bank dragged the index lower. 

The advance-decline ratio on the NSE remained in favor of advances, with 1,362 shares rising compared to 1,169 shares declining, indicating a slightly positive breadth in the market.

Market Update at 9:30 AM: As anticipated from the GIFT Nifty, The Indian indices opened flat on September 3. At 9:30 am, the BSE Sensex edged down by 0.06 per cent reaching a level of 82,524. The Nifty 50 index lost 0.03 per cent to the 25,269 level. 

In terms of sectoral performance, Nifty Realty, Nifty Pharma and Nifty Healthcare Index are Top Gainers, while Nifty IT, Nifty Oil & Gas, and Nifty Financial Services emerged as notable laggards.

Hindalco Industries, Sun Pharma, Shriram Finance, Divis Labs and M&M were among major gainers on the Nifty, while losers were Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv and Infosys. With 1,580 shares rising on the NSE and 679 shares declining, the advance-decline ratio remained in favour of Advances.

Pre-Market Update at 8:30 AM: The record run continued on Dalal Street with Nifty ending higher for the 13th consecutive session on September 2, supported by bank, FMCG, and Information Technology names.

Asian markets were mostly higher on Tuesday as investors assessed South Korea's August inflation numbers, which eased to their lowest level on a year-on-year basis since March 2021. The GIFT Nifty is trading higher, indicating a flat to positive start for the day.

The US markets were shut on Monday on account of Labor Day.

Brent oil prices slid in Asian trade on Tuesday as concern about a sluggish economy in China bringing down demand outweighed the impact of a blockade of oil production facilities in Libya.

Brent crude futures were down 37 cents, or 0.48%, to $77.15 a barrel.

On September 3, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,735 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) made a sizeable inflow of Rs 356 crore