Stock market today: Indian stocks ended with stellar gains during Friday’s trading session as the RBI’s double bonanza—a 50 basis point cut in the repo rate and a 100-basis point cut in the CRR—boosted expectations of improved credit demand and a recovery in domestic growth.
The surprise move came just as Indian equities had lost momentum, with the Nifty retreating over the previous two weeks amid concerns over rich valuations and global trade uncertainty. Rate-sensitive stocks, led by real estate, financials, and auto, emerged as top performers, while expectations of an above-normal monsoon lifted the FMCG pack.
Stock Market Today: 10 Key Highlights
Here are 10 key highlights of the Indian stock market today:
1. Nifty 50 and Sensex end with over 1% gains each
A deeper-than-expected repo rate cut and additional liquidity infusion through a CRR cut pushed both the Nifty 50 and Sensex higher, with each ending the session up over 1%. The Nifty 50 closed with a gain of 252 points, or 1.02%, at 25,003, while the Sensex jumped 443 points, or 1%, to close at 82,188.
Today’s RBI-led boost also turned the Nifty 50’s weekly return to positive at 1.02% and the Sensex’s to 0.91%.
2. HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, and 3 other stocks contribute 48% to Nifty 50’s gains.
A healthy 1.5% gain in HDFC Bank shares contributed 48 points to the Nifty 50’s rally of 252 points. Bajaj Finance (BAJFINANCE) added 25.44 points, Axis Bank contributed 23 points, while M&M and Shriram Finance added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
3. Nifty Realty: Top sectoral performer
Among the 13 sectoral indices, the Nifty Realty index emerged as the top performer, gaining over 4.68% as investor optimism grew that the 100 basis point CRR cut could encourage urban homebuyers. In fact, real estate stocks had gained traction on Dalal Street ahead of the RBI’s MPC meeting, fueled by growing expectations of a rate cut.
A strong surge in banking stocks—including IDFC First Bank, AU Small Finance Bank, Axis Bank, and IndusInd Bank—helped the Nifty Bank index touch a fresh 52-week high of 56,584 and ended the day with a gain of 1.47%. Other sectoral indices, including Nifty Auto, Nifty FMCG, Nifty Consumer Durables, and Nifty Oil and Gas, have also gained over 0.60%.
