Sensex snaps 5-day losing streak—10 key highlights of Indian stock market today | Stock Market News

Indian stock market benchmark- the Sensex- snapped its five-day losing streak to end with a decent gain of about half a per cent on Monday, March 17, tracking positive global cues. The Sensex closed at 74,169.95, with a gain of 341 points, or 0.46 per cent. The Nifty 50, which ended its two-day losing run, settled 112 points, or 0.50 per cent, higher at 22,508.75.

BSE Midcap index outperformed with a gain of 0.77 per cent. On the flip side, the BSE Smallcap index remained subdued and closed the day with a nominal loss of 0.02 per cent.

The overall market capitalisation of the firms listed on the BSE rose to nearly ₹393 lakh crore from ₹391 lakh crore in the previous session, making investors richer by about ₹2 lakh crore in a single session.

Stock market today: 10 key highlights

Here are 10 key highlights of the Indian stock market today:

1. Why did the Indian stock market rise today?

Market benchmarks ended with decent gains amid largely positive global cues. Major European indices, including the UK’s FTSE, France’s CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX, traded with gains when the Sensex closed as investors awaited policy outcomes of major central banks, including the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) and the Bank of England, this week.

Select financial heavyweights, including ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Bajaj Finance, ended as the top contributors to the gains in the Sensex index.

“The national market experienced a positive trading session, driven by strong performance in the healthcare and financial sectors. Investors are closely monitoring the upcoming Fed and BOJ meetings, with expectations leaning towards maintaining the current stance due to inflation risks associated with tariff uncertainties,” said Vinod Nair, the head of research at Geojit Financial Services.

2. Top three Sensex gainers today

Shares of Bajaj Finserv (up 3.59 per cent), Mahindra and Mahindra (up 2.41 per cent) and Axis Bank (up 2.36 per cent)ended as the top gainers in the index. In the 30-share pack, 19 stocks settled higher.

3. Top three Sensex losers today

Shares of ITC (down 0.98 per cent), Nestle (down 0.76 per cent) and SBI (down 0.69 per cent) ended as the top losers.

4. Sectoral indices today

Nifty Pharma and Healthcare indices jumped 1.56 per cent and 1.51 per cent, respectively.

Nifty Bank ended 0.61 per cent higher, while the Financial Services index climbed 1.03 per cent.

Nifty Private Bank index rose 0.94 per cent but the PSU Bank index slipped 0.24 per cent.

5. Most active stocks in terms of volume

Vodafone Idea (31.52 crore shares), GTL Infra (10.63 crore shares), YES Bank (7.2 crore shares), Ola Electric Mobility (6.260 crore shares) and Suzlon (5.4 crore shares) were the most active stocks in terms of volume on the NSE.

6. Over 100 stocks hit 52-week highs

101 stocks, including Kotak Mahindra Bank, SRF, Avanti Feeds and Sarda Energy & Minerals, hit fresh 52-week highs in intraday trade on the BSE.

7. Nearly 500 stocks at 52-week low

As many as 489 stocks, including Titan, LTIMindtree, Hero MotoCorp, Colgate Palmolive and AU Small Finance Bank, hit their fresh 52-week lows in intraday trade on the BSE.

8. Stocks that rose over 10% on NSE

Seven stocks- NACL Industries (up 19.99 per cent), Niraj Cement Structurals (up 19.98 per cent), Udayshivakumar Infra (up 19.94 per cent), Elgi Equipments (up 16.80 per cent), Nupur Recyclers (up 15.41 per cent), Asahi Songwon Colors (up 15.10 per cent) and Lypsa Gems & Jewellery (up 13 per cent) – rose more than 10 per cent on the NSE on Monday.

9. Stocks that crashed over 10%

Aion-Tech Solutions (down 15.56 per cent), Magellanic Cloud (down 13.99 per cent), Global Education (down 12.13 per cent), Inventurus Knowledge Solutions (down 11.77 per cent), Madhav Marbles and Granites (down 10.83 per cent), Asian Energy Services (down 10.78 per cent), Binani Industries (down 10.08 per cent) and STL Global (down 10.03 per cent) were the eight stocks that lost more than 10 per cent on the NSE.

10. Advance-decline ratio

The advance-decline ratio tilted towards the decliners as some 1,134 stocks advanced, while 1,781 declined on the NSE on March 17.

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