Sensex and Nifty Extend Winning Streak to Fourth Session Amid Soft Crude

Indian benchmark indices continued their upward trajectory on Wednesday, marking the fourth consecutive day of gains. Despite persistent selling by foreign institutional investors, a dip in global crude oil prices following geopolitical easing provided the necessary cushion for a bullish close.

Market Performance: Sensex and Nifty End Higher

The BSE Sensex demonstrated strong momentum, climbing 347.14 points, or 0.45%, to finish at 77,155.62. During the intraday session, the index reached a peak of 77,218.99, up by 410.51 points.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty50 mirrored this positive trend, gaining 96.55 points (0.40%) to settle at 24,085.70. The Nifty touched an intraday high of 24,108.20, representing a peak rise of 119.05 points. This rally comes on the heels of Tuesday's performance, where the Sensex had jumped 544.15 points and the Nifty advanced 135.25 points.

Global Catalysts: The Crude Oil Factor

A primary driver for the positive sentiment was the softening of Brent crude prices, which traded at approximately USD 79.10 per barrel. According to Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited, the easing geopolitical tensions around the Strait of Hormuz—following a US-Iran peace deal—have significantly boosted investor confidence.

While Asian markets showed a predominantly positive trend, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s Kospi ending higher, the broader global landscape remained mixed. Interestingly, this domestic optimism persists even as Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continue to pull capital out of the Indian markets, recording net equities sales of Rs 749.18 crore on Tuesday.

Top Gainers and Losers: Sectoral Winners and Laggards

The stock market saw significant volatility in specific sectors, with retail and defense stocks leading the charge, while the automotive sector faced headwinds.

Nifty50 Top Gainers:

Nifty50 Top Losers:

BSE Sensex Highlights: In the Sensex, Trent emerged as the standout performer with a 7.08% surge. Other notable gainers included BEL (+3.02%) and Tata Steel (+1.54%). On the losing side, Bajaj Finserv (-1.28%) and Axis Bank (-1.09%) were among the primary decliners, alongside Maruti Suzuki (-0.45%).

Key Takeaways