Mkts drift higher on DII push

Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed higher on Wednesday, helped by gains in FMCG, consumer durables and healthcare stocks amid strong buying support from domestic institutional investors. However, foreign capital outflows amid a cautious trend in global equities ahead of the release of US Fed minutes restricted the gains in domestic markets, traders said.

In a range-bound trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex gained for the second day in a row, rising 102.44 points or 0.13 per cent to close at 80,905.30. During the day, it rose 149.97 points or 0.18 per cent to hit an intra-day high of 80,952.83. Rising for the fifth straight session, the NSE Nifty went up by 71.35 points or 0.29 per cent to end at 24,770.20.

“The Indian market traded on a tight range with a positive bias supported by strong DII flows. While defensive sector outperformed due to a continued shift in portfolio towards FMCG, consumer, commodities, and pharma. Global markets exhibited a mildly cautious tone ahead of the release of the FOMC minutes later today. Currently, the expectation of a rate cut remains high, given the fall in US inflation and moderation in overall growth,” said Vinod Nair, head (research), Geojit Financial Services.

The market capitalisation (mcap) of BSE-listed companies rose to Rs4,59,24,230.67 crore (Rs459.24 lakh cr or $5.47 trn). In the broader market, the BSE smallcap gauge jumped 0.87 per cent, and the midcap index climbed 0.43 per cent. “The Indian markets showed mixed signals as key indices traded in a narrow range on Wednesday. Investors are now focusing on the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s most recent monetary policy meeting and Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium for clues on the US interest-rate cuts this year,” added Avdhut Bagkar, analyst (technical and derivatives) at StoxBox.