Mumbai’s benchmark indices ended Thursday’s trading session on a flat note, with the Sensex slipping marginally by 27.46 points to close at 82,248.61, while the Nifty edged up 14.05 points to 25,496.55. This subdued performance came amid mixed sectoral trends, where defense and healthcare stocks provided crucial support to prevent deeper losses.
The Nifty India Defense index rose 1.48%, leading the gains, closely followed by Nifty Healthcare at 1.24%. Other notable performers included Nifty Pharma (1.08%), Nifty PSU Bank (0.95%), Nifty Oil & Gas (0.87%), Nifty Auto (0.80%), Nifty India Manufacturing (0.78%), Nifty Metal (0.39%), and Nifty Infra (0.32%).
On the flip side, Nifty Media declined 0.68%, with Nifty FMCG, Financial Services, and Services also posting minor losses of 0.16%, 0.11%, and 0.06% respectively.
Midcap and smallcap segments mirrored the broader market’s indecision. The Nifty Midcap 100 index climbed 392.05 points or 0.66% to 59,798.15, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 dipped just one point to 17,117.65.
In the Sensex pack, gainers included BEL, Adani Ports, Sun Pharma, Maruti Suzuki, Bharti Airtel, SBI, TCS, Tata Steel, ICICI Bank, HUL, Titan, and Tech Mahindra. Losers were Trent, Eternal, Powergrid, HDFC Bank, Asian Paints, UltraTech Cement, NTPC, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, ITC, Bajaj Finserv, T&T, HCL Tech, and M&M.
Sudeep Shah, Technical and Derivatives Head at SBI Securities, noted that the Nifty traded in a narrow range throughout the day, mostly hugging lower levels. ‘This reflects investor caution,’ he observed. He identified immediate resistance at 25,630-25,660, with potential upside to 25,800 if breached. Support lies between 25,380 and 25,350.
Market participants remain watchful for global cues and upcoming economic data that could dictate the next move. Defense sector’s resilience underscores growing investor interest in strategic themes amid geopolitical tensions.