Market Wrap, Dec 18: SENSEX flat, NIFTY50 ends at 25,815 after volatile session; IT stocks outshine, Sun Pharma top loser

After a volatile session, the Indian equity benchmark indices closed marginally lower for the fourth straight session on Thursday, December 18, following weak global cues.

Volatility in the domestic currency has also made the investors worried. On a provisional basis, the rupee rose 12 paise to close at 90.26 against the US dollar.

According to exchange data, on Wednesday, the foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased shares worth ₹1,171.71 crore, while the domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought equities worth ₹768.94 crore on a net basis.

Globally, Asian markets closed mixed on Thursday, led by declines in technology stocks, as investors braced for a potentially hawkish stance from the Bank of Japan.

Singapore's Straits Times dipped 0.11%, Japan's Nikkei declined 0.83%, and South Korea's KOSPI slipped 1.55%. The Shanghai Composite, however, ended 0.16% higher, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng also rose marginally by 0.05%.

On Wall Street, the major indices ended lower on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq sliding to three-week lows.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.47%, and the S&P 500 declined 1.16%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.81%.

Here are the key developments of Thursday's session that you need to know

As many as 3,209 stocks traded on the NSE on Thursday. Out of this, 1,273 advanced and 1,827 stocks declined, while 109 scrips remained unchanged.

This indicated that the market breadth was in favour of declines.

A total of 49 stocks hit their 52-week highs, while 228 stocks touched their one-year lows. Besides, 59 stocks hit their upper circuit limits, and 60 touched their lower circuit bands on Thursday.

The market capitalisation of NSE-listed firms stood at ₹463.51 lakh crore at the close of the session, adding ₹2.48 lakh crore.

India VIX, the volatility gauge, stood at 9.71 levels, slumping 1.32%.

The broader markets outshined the main equity indices as the Nifty Smallcap 100 index surged 0.13% to close at 17,160.20, while the Nifty Midcap 100 index ended at 59,592.15, gaining 0.34%.

Nifty Media took the lead among losing sectors, declining 1.27%, while Nifty Auto (-0.61%), Nifty Oil & Gas (-0.33%), Nifty Pharma (0.24%) and Nifty FMCG (-0.1%) were the other laggards.

Meanwhile, led by TCS (1.97%), Tech Mahindra (1.62%) and Infosys (1.57%), Nifty IT outperformed, surging 1.21%. Nifty Consumer Durables (0.37%), Nifty Realty (0.34%), and Nifty Metal (0.25%) were the other sectoral gainers.

On the NIFTY50, 24 stocks ended in the green, while 25 declined and two remained unchanged on Thursday.

Sun Pharma was the biggest laggard, sliding 2.62%, followed by Tata Steel (-1.4%), Power Grid (-1.23%), Asian Paints (-0.98%) and Tata Consumer Products (-0.92%).

On the flip side, IndiGo (2.9%), TCS (1.97%), Max Healthcare (1.64%), Tech Mahindra (1.62%) and Infosys (1.57%) were the top gainers on the 50-share index.