Markets close at new highs; Sensex gains 209 points & Nifty ends above 16,600

The main indices extended a record closing spree on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. The S&P BSE Sensex rose 209.69 points or 0.38 per cent to 55,792.27. The Nifty 50 index gained 51.55 points or 0.31 per cent to 16,614.60. Nifty Bank index closed 227.05 points or 0.63 per cent at 35,867.45.

In the broader markets have outperformed the at the BSE, the S&P BSE MidCap closed with a gain of 0.71 per cent and S&P BSE SmallCap closed 0.30 per cent higher.

Sellers outnumbered buyers. On the BSE, 1141 shares rose and 2,027 shares fell. TCS was up 2.15% at Rs 3546.45. On the Nifty 50 index on NSE, 26 shares advanced and 23 shares declined while 1 remain unchanged. The top five gainers on Nifty were Tata Consumers (up 3.83 per cent), Wipro (up 3.29 per cent), Tech Mahindra (up 3.15 per cent), Hindustan Unilever (up 2.35 per cent). The top five losers were JSW Steel (down 2.42 per cent), Adani Ports (down 2.26 per cent), Tata Motors (down 2.22 per cent), Coal India (down 1.90 per cent) and UPL (down 1.60 per cent).

COVID-19 update

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide were at 20,78,67,008 with 43,71,589 deaths. India reported 3,69,846 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 4,32,079 deaths while 3,14,48,754 patients have been discharged, data showed.

Afghanistan Turmoil

US President Joe Biden rejected blame for the scenes of turmoil and panic in Kabul as thousands of people were seen at a Kabul airport desperately trying to flee. Mr Biden described the anguish of those trapped in the country as "gut-wrenching" and conceded the Taliban's lightning offensive had occurred more quickly than expected. His comments came amid mounting criticism of his administration's handling of the situation.

Jobs in the UK

UK companies posted more than 1 million new job vacancies for the first time as loosening Coronavirus rules led to an unprecedented scramble for staff. The Office for National Statistics figures also show evidence of inflation pressures from rising wages, with average earnings in the three months through June surging a record 8.8 per cent from a year earlier. While the figure partly reflects distortions created by the pandemic, underlying wage pressures also are gathering pace. The pickup underscores the scale of the recovery from the deepest economic slump in 300 years. The Bank of England expects strains in the labour market to prove temporary.