Indian shares rose on Friday with the Nifty ending above 11,400 boosted by gains in auto, banks and FMCG stocks. Also, robust earnings of Bajaj Financial and Bajaj Finserv boosted investor sentiment. Both indices rose over 1 percent for the week.
NSE
The focus has now shifted to the exit polls on Sunday, indicating the end of the seven-phase voting phase which began on April 11. Markets are largely expecting the return of Narendra Modi-led NDA government to power.
The Sensex settled 537 points higher at 37,930, while the Nifty50 added 150 points to end at 11,407. Among broader markets, the Nifty Midcap and the Nifty Smallcap were up 1 and 0.5 percent, respectively.
Zee, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, HeroMoto Corp and Maruti were among the major gainers on the Nifty50, whereas Dr Reddy's YES Bank, IOC, Vedanta and Hindalco led losses.
Bajaj Finance rose 6 percent to a record high following a 57 percent surge in net profit on Thursday, while Bajaj Finserv hits its highest ever level, up 5 percent, after its profit grew by 31.7 percent to Rs 839 crore.
On the sectoral front, the Nifty Media was the biggest gainer, up nearly 4 percent led by Zee (up 8.5 percent). The Nifty Auto, the Nifty FMCG and the Nifty Bank also gained during the day, up over 2 percent each. Meanwhile, the Nifty IT and the Nifty Pharma were the biggest draggers, down 0.5 and 1.5 percent, respectively.
The Nifty Auto rose nearly 2.5 percent led by gains in Maruti, HeroMoto Corp, Bajaj Auto, Eicher Motors and M&M, up in the range of 2.3-4.5 percent. Bajaj Auto rose 3.5 percent after its standalone net profit rose 21 percent to Rs 1,305.59 crore.
Meanwhile, pharma stocks continued to be under pressure with the Nifty Pharma down 1.5 percent. Aurobindo Pharma fell nearly 8 percent after the USFDA warned of regulatory action. Lupin and Cadila Healthcare were also down 3 and 3.5 percent, respectively.
Oil marketing companies (OMCs) fell with IOC and HPCL down 1.8 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively as oil prices rose for the fourth consecutive session on Mideast tensions.
Tata Chemicals and Tata Global Beverages extended yesterday's gain, were up 2.5 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively after Tata Group transferred all its branded food businesses to Tata Global Beverages from Tata Chemicals.
Shares of PNB Housing Finance dipped over 3 percent after Punjab National Bank called off the deal to sell its stake in the company to Varde Holdings.