Stock Market Today Highlights: Sensex Gains 676 Points And Nifty Closes Just Below 24,950 Today

• Sensex rises 676 points to close at 81,274

• Nifty gains 246 points, closing at 24,877

• Nifty Bank up 393 points to 55,735

• Midcap Index up 609 points to 57,113

• Auto, FMCG, Cement stocks rise 3-9% on GST cut hopes

• Eicher, M&M, Bajaj Auto, Hero Moto & Maruti surge 3-9%

• FMCG stocks like HUL, Trent & Nestle jump on demand boost hopes

• Ashok Leyland up 8% after positive Q1 brokerage notes

• AC, fridge, washing machine stocks rise up to 8% on potential GST cuts

• Vodafone Idea closes 6% higher despite weak Q1 results

• Steel stocks gain as DGTR recommends 3-year safeguard duty; Nifty Metal up 2%

• Astral & Supreme rise 2-3% after DGTR recommends anti-dumping duty on PVC resin

• Glenmark drops over 3% after disappointing Q1

• Petro products likely excluded from GST, OMC stocks slip 1-2%

• Defensive plays fall; IT index drops nearly 1%

• Market breadth favors advances with a 2:1 advance-decline ratio

• Frontline indices record 1% gains; Nifty hits 25,000 intra-day

• Consumer theme sees strong buying on GST rate cut expectations

Sensex closed at 81,274, up 676 points, while Nifty ended at 24,877, rising 246 points on GST optimism.

Sensex closed at 81,273.75, up 676.09 points (0.84%), showing strong gains. However, Nifty remained below the 24,950 mark by the end of the session. The market showed positive momentum but faced resistance around key levels, indicating cautious investor sentiment heading into the next trading day. 

The Sensex climbed 850 points, with the Nifty testing 24,950 levels. Pharma stocks trimmed earlier losses, showing signs of recovery. However, the IT index lagged, marking the only sector in the red. Market sentiment remains cautiously optimistic amid mixed sector trends today

Stocks in Focus Today- Key Movers

• Ashok Leyland shares climbed over 6%, boosted by reports of a potential GST restructure.
• Blue Star saw gains of over 6%, riding the same wave of GST optimism.
• Hyundai India edged closer to the ₹2,400 mark, with shares jumping 7%.
• Maruti Suzuki recorded its highest daily surge in four years, soaring more than 7%.
• TVS Motors rose 6%, buoyed by positive GST headlines.
• PG Electroplast bounced back strongly, up 7.23% from last week’s low.
• Inox Wind drew investor attention with an early 6% spike in trading.

Blue Star soared over 7%, Havells climbed 5%, and Voltas jumped 6% on hopes that the GST on major appliances, like ACs, TVs, fridges, and washing machines, will be reduced to 18%. This anticipated tax revision is fueling investor optimism across the consumer durables sector today.

Nifty climed past the 25,000 mark, signaling strong market momentum. Leading the rally are Hero MotoCorp, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Auto, and Nestle India. Investor sentiment remains upbeat, driven by domestic reforms and global optimism, keeping the index firmly in bullish sentiments!

Nifty Bank soared past 56,100, reflecting strong bullish sentiment and renewed investor confidence in the banking and financial sector today.

• Auto Sector Gains:
  • Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland shares rallied up to 6% on August 18.
  • Nomura expects a 10% GST cut to boost auto demand by 15% to 20%.
  • GST cuts on Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles could accelerate EV adoption by narrowing the price gap.
• Consumer Durables Surge:
  • Voltas, Blue Star, PG Electroplast, and Amber Enterprises shares gained up to 10%.
  • Rally driven by hopes of lower GST rates on consumer durables.
• Steel Stocks Up:
  • Tata Steel, JSW Steel, SAIL, JSPL shares rose up to 2%.
  • Gains followed updates on final safeguard duty on steel imports

S&P Global Ratings upgraded the issuer credit ratings of ONGC, Power Grid, NTPC, and Tata Power from ‘BBB-‘ to ‘BBB’, with stable outlooks, reflecting improved financial strength. Additionally, issue ratings on debt by ONGC, Power Grid, and NTPC were raised to ‘BBB’ from ‘BBB-‘. This reflects enhanced ability to meet financial obligations and growing investor confidence. The upgrades highlight strengthening fundamentals in India’s energy and infrastructure sectors, supported by government reforms and steady operations. These rating improvements are expected to boost investor trust and help these companies secure better borrowing costs going forward.

Market Sector Performance: All Sectors in the Green, Auto Leads

• BSE Auto up 4.35%, strong 8.95% YTD gain
• BSE Capital Goods up 0.97%, slight YTD loss of 0.54%
• BSE FMCG rises 1.35%, down 1.72% YTD
• BSE Metal climbs 1.63%, solid 7.94% YTD growth
• BSE Oil & Gas dips 0.10%, down 0.26% YTD
• BSE Realty gains 2.17%, down 15.24% YTD
• BSE IT edges up 0.17%, down 20.73% YTD
• BSE Healthcare up 0.24%, slight 1.58% YTD loss
• BSE Power up 0.49%, down 4.66% YTD
• BSE Consumer Durables rises 2.47%, down 6.08% YTD

At 9:15Am, What a powerful start to the week! The Indian stock market is roaring, with the Sensex opening at +999.56 points to 81,597.22 and the Nifty jumping 280.35 points to 24,911.65. Investor sentiment is buoyant, driven by strong domestic cues including the GST overhaul announcement and India’s credit rating upgrade. Global trends, though mixed, haven’t dampened the upbeat mood. Sectoral strength is broad-based, with heavy buying seen across blue-chip and midcap stocks. With positive momentum building and confidence soaring, bulls clearly have the upper hand. All eyes are now on whether Nifty will breach the 25,000 mark soon!

GIFT Nifty indicates a strong gap-up opening for Indian markets, rising nearly 250 points, tracking upbeat global cues. Asian markets traded mixed as investors awaited further clarity on US-Ukraine talks. Meanwhile, US futures are higher, with focus shifting to Jackson Hole and key retail earnings.

U.S. President Trump announced plans to impose new tariffs on steel and semiconductors this week, with chip tariffs starting low and rising sharply later. Additionally, 25% tariffs on Indian goods are expected to take effect on August 27, following a postponement of the India-US trade talks originally scheduled for August 25.

Trump called his discussions with Putin “extremely productive,” though no agreement was reached. In Europe, leaders are set to join President Zelenskyy in ongoing tensions with Trump over Ukraine.

On the macro front, US consumer sentiment dropped to 58.6, while retail sales rose 0.5%. The US 10-year yield rose to 4.32%, the dollar slipped, and gold edged higher. 

Read More: Stock Market Today: 5 Things That Could Rock The Markets This Week, From GST To Geopolitics!

On Thursday, August 14, benchmark indices ended marginally higher in a volatile session, marking a second consecutive day of gains. The cautious sentiment prevailed ahead of the Trump-Putin summit scheduled for the next day. The Sensex closed up 57.75 points (0.07%) at 80,597.66, while the Nifty gained 11.95 points (0.05%) to settle at 24,631.30.

Despite the slight rise, the broader market remained under pressure, with the BSE Midcap index down 0.2% and Smallcap index losing 0.6%. However, for the week, both the Sensex and Nifty managed to rise around 1%, breaking a six-week losing streak.

Major Nifty gainers included Wipro, Eternal, HDFC Life, Infosys, and Asian Paints, while top losers were Tata Steel, Adani Ports, Tech Mahindra, Hero MotoCorp, and Bharat Electronics. Sectorally, metals and oil & gas slipped 1%, realty and FMCG were down 0.5%, while Consumer Durables and IT rose 0.5%.

Markets were shut on Friday for Independence Day.

At Around 7AM, Gift Nifty is signaling a strong start, indicating a gain of nearly 200 points in the opening session for the Indian stock market. This suggests positive sentiment and a likely gap-up opening, possibly driven by global cues or favorable news. Traders should watch early price action for confirmation before making any moves.