Top gainers and losers, Feb 19: IndiGo, UltraTech, M&M fall 3%, ONGC rises 4%; check list

The Indian benchmark indices, SENSEX and NIFTY50, closed in negative territory on Thursday, February 19, as investors' sentiment soured due to rising geopolitical tensions.

According to media reports, the United States issued new threats against Iran, despite the conclusion of Iran-US nuclear talks in Geneva on Tuesday, with Iran saying that it reached an understanding with the US on the main “guiding principles” to resolve their disputes. Furthermore, the US-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia concluded on Wednesday without a breakthrough.

On Wednesday, the foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased shares worth ₹1,154.34 crore, while the domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought equities worth ₹440.34 crore on a net basis, according to exchange data.

The 30-share BSE SENSEX plunged 1,236.11 points or 1.48% to settle at 82,498.14, while the 50-share NSE NIFTY tanked 1.41% or 365 points to end at 25,454.35.

NIFTY50 top gainers and losers

Shares of InterGlobe Aviation dragged down the NIFTY50 index, closing 3.28% lower.

It was followed by selling in UltraTech Cement (-2.97%), Mahindra & Mahindra (-2.93%), Bharat Electronics (-2.84%) and Trent (-2.80%), which were among the top losers on Thursday.

On the other hand, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation closed in the green, up by 3.65%, as rising Iran-US tensions sent oil prices soaring, with Brent crude futures surging as much as 0.45% to an intraday high of $70.67 per barrel.

The other top gainers included HDFC Life Insurance Company (0.65%) and Hindalco Industries (0.59%). Only three out of 50 stocks on the index closed in the positive territory.

NIFTY Midcap 100 top gainers and losers

NSE’s NIFTY Midcap 100 gauge fell 1.59% or 955.55 points to end at 59,227.65 on February 19.

The index was weighed down by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, which lost 5.20%. One 97 Communications (-4.72%), Persistent Systems (-4.64%), Bharat Heavy Electricals (-3.48%) and Godrej Properties (-3.45%) were among the other top laggards.

On the flip side, Oil India (5.19%), Godfrey Phillips India (2.19%), UPL (1.65%), Aurobindo Pharma (1.07%) and NTPC Green Energy (1.07%) were among the top winners.

NIFTY Smallcap 100 top gainers and losers

The NIFTY Smallcap 100 index declined by 1.27% or 218.90 points to close at 17,020.35.

The top losers included Jindal Saw (-4.93%), Kaynes Technology India (-4.41%), Neuland Laboratories (-4.41%), Shyam Metalics and Energy (-4.30%) and Poonawalla Fincorp (-3.46%).

On the contrary, Newgen Software Technologies ended 13.19% higher. The other top gainers included Tata Chemicals (2.30%), Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (1.55%), Aster DM Healthcare (1.32%) and MCX (0.97%).

Shares of MCX surged, as it provided margin relief on gold and silver futures. In a circular issued during post-market hours on Wednesday, the domestic commodities derivatives exchange notified investors that it was withdrawing additional margins it had levied on gold and silver futures. It withdrew the additional margin of 3% levied on all gold futures contracts and 7% on all silver contracts, effective February 19.