Stock Market Closing Bell: Sensex gains 188 pts; Nifty settles near 25,700, IT stocks shine

Stock Market Closing Bell: Indian equity markets ended Friday’s session on a firm note, led by strong buying in information technology and banking stocks, even as selling pressure in pharma and consumer durables capped sharper gains.

The BSE Sensex surged as much as 752.26 points, or 0.9 per cent, to hit an intraday high of 84,134.97, before paring most of the gains to close at 83,570.35, up 187.64 points, or 0.23 per cent. The pullback from higher levels reflected profit-taking in select heavyweights during the latter half of the session.

The NSE Nifty 50 also saw a similar trend. The index climbed 0.81 per cent to an intraday high of 25,873.50, but ended the day at 25,694.35, up 28.75 points, or 0.11 per cent.

Add Zee Business as a Preferred Source

On the BSE, IT majors Infosys, Tech Mahindra and HCL Technologies emerged as the top gainers, riding strong buying interest across the technology pack. On the losing side, Eternal, Asian Paints and Maruti ended lower, weighing on the index.

On the NSE, Infosys, Tech Mahindra and Wipro led the gainers’ chart, while Cipla, Jio Financial Services and Eternal were among the top drags on the benchmark.

Broader markets closed on a mixed note. The Nifty Midcap 100 ended marginally higher by 0.16 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 slipped 0.28 per cent, as investors remained selective amid volatility.

Sectorally, Nifty IT stood out as the top performer, closing 3.34 per cent higher. In contrast, Nifty Pharma was the worst-hit sector, ending 1.28 per cent lower, amid sustained selling pressure.

Overall, the market ended the week with modest gains, supported by strength in IT and banking stocks, while weakness in pharma and consumer-facing sectors limited the upside.