The domestic benchmark indices ended with gains on Friday as buying was seen in pharma, auto, IT, financial service, FMCG, media, and private bank sectors on Nifty.
Sensex ended at 78,699.07, up by 226.59 points or 0.29 per cent and Nifty settled at 23,813.40, up by 63.20 points or 0.27 per cent.
Nifty Bank ended at 51,311.30, up by 140.60 points, or 0.27 per cent. The Nifty Midcap 100 index closed at 56,979.80 after dropping 145.90 points, or 0.26 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 index closed at 18,755.85, after rising 27.20 points, or 0.15 per cent.
On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), 1,946 shares ended in green and 2,026 shares in red, whereas there was no change in 115 shares.
According to experts, "The Christmas week trading ended on a subdued note; a lack of major triggers and caution ahead of the swearing in of the US Republican Party administration continued to impact the sentiment."
"While the rupee dropped to a new low, weighed down by the expectation of fewer Fed rate cuts, a widening trade deficit, and weak economic growth," they added.
On the sectoral front, selling was seen in the PSU Bank, Metal, Realty, Energy, Infra and Commodities sectors on Nifty.
In the Sensex pack, M&M, IndusInd Bank, Tata Motors, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, Nestle India, ICICI Bank and Asian Paints were the top gainers. SBI, Tata Steel, Zomato, UltraTech Cement, HCL Tech, L&T, Titan, TCS and Power Grid were the top losers.
The Indian rupee closed at a new low of 85.54 per dollar. The previous close of the Indian currency was 85.26.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 2,376.67 crore on December 26, while domestic institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 3,336.16 crore on the same day.
IBM partners Sarvam to strengthen India's sovereign AI ecosystem
IBM and homegrown AI startup Sarvam have partnered to accelerate the development and adoption of sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in India, with a focus on government agencies, public sector organisations and regulated enterprises, according to a statement on Friday.
Sensex climbs 274 pts, Nifty ends above 24,300 as auto stocks lend support
Indian equity benchmarks closed with modest gains on Thursday after a subdued trading session, as investors remained watchful of the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia.
Markets extend losing streak to 5th day; Sensex sheds 332 points, Nifty slips below 23,800
Indian equity benchmarks extended their losing streak to a fifth consecutive session on Friday, marking their longest stretch of declines since the first week of January, as investors remained cautious amid concerns over the inflation and growth outlook in the backdrop of elevated crude oil prices.