Last updated: Oct 18, 2023 09:27 IST
Sensex today: Indian stock markets started the trading session on a tepid note on Wednesday as investors weighed in on geopolitical developments and India Inc.’s quarterly results. assessed in September.
The S&P BSE Sensex fell 74 points to 66,354 in early deals, while the Nifty50 index settled below 19,800.
The broader BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices, meanwhile, rose 0.2 percent and 0.4 percent respectively on the BSE.
Sector-wise, the Nifty Financial Services fell 0.4 percent, followed by the Nifty Private Bank index (down 0.3 percent0). On the positive side, the Nifty Media index added 0.7 percent.
Shares of the Housing Urban Development Corporation fell 8 percent as the government started selling its 7 percent stake in Hudco through the offer for sale (OFS) route. It has floated a total of 140 million shares at a floor price of Rs 79 per share.
Shares of Bajaj Finance fell 1.6 per cent after it reported 28 per cent year-on-year (year-on-year) growth in consolidated net profit for Q2FY24 at Rs 3,551 crore. Net interest income (NII) rose 26 percent year-on-year to Rs 8,845 crore.
Global signals
Asian markets were mixed on Wednesday morning following the escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Meanwhile, China’s GDP grew better than expected at 4.9 percent in the third quarter.
Major indices in Japan, South Korea and China fell between 0.04 percent and 0.3 percent. However, Australia made up for its losses, while Hong Kong remained flat.
Overnight, the S&P500 fell 0.01 percent, the Nasdaq fell 0.25 percent and the Dow Jones added 0.04 percent.
Ten-year U.S. Treasury yields topped 4.8 percent, reaching their highest level since October 6, after U.S. retail sales were warmer than expected.
