Closing Bell: Sensex, Nifty end in green as bulls take control of street in final session; ICICI Bank biggest catalyst

Domestic equity markets ended the day in the green on Tuesday. The last hour trade witnessed a huge fervour with bulls firing on all cylinders. Nifty scaled a new 52-week high of 18,427.95 on the intraday basis to finally end at 18,403.40, up 74.25 points or 0.41 per cent. Bank Nifty also touched yet another lifetime high of 42,450.05 before closing to 42,372.70, higher by 295.95 points or 0.70 per cent from the Monday closing. Meanwhile, Sensex, settled at 61,872.99, up 248.84 points or 0.40 per cent. 

The recovery was led by ICICI Bank which accounted for lion share in the index followed by Infosys and Bharti Airtel.   

Tuesday's session was marked by ups and downs with the last hour surge where the frontline indices managed a strong closing. India VIX, a measure of volatility in Nifty stood at 14.64, down 1.84 per cent. 

In the 50-stock Nifty50, 36 stocks advanced while 14 declined. The top gainers were Power Grid, ONGC, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel and Hero MotoCorp. The top losers were HDFC Life, Grasim Industries, Cipla, ITC and UPL.  

Also Read: Stock Market LIVE: Sensex ends 250 points up, Nifty closes with 70-point gains; Power Grid top gainer 

Out of the 15 sectoral indices, 12 were gainers with Nifty Oil & Gas (+ 0.73 per cent), Nifty Bank(+ 0.70 per cent) and Nifty Auto (+ 0.64 per cent) taking lead. Meanwhile, the losers were Nifty FMCG (- 0.02 per cent), Nifty Media (-0.20 per cent) and Nifty Realty (-0.11 per cent). 

Also Read: Brokerages bullish on Grasim Industries; Jefferies estimates Rs 230 per share gain 

In the broader market, there was stock specific action, Nifty Mid Cap 100 closing at 31,403.55 almost flat albeit with positive bias. While the Nifty Small Cap 100 settled at 9,777.30, down 0.26 per cent. 

The rupee appreciated by 17 paise to close at 81.11 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, on positive domestic macroeconomic data and weak American currency. Forex traders said a firm trend in domestic equities, sustained foreign fund inflows and easing crude oil prices also supported the local unit. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 81.18 and touched an intra-day high of 81.04 and a low of 81.45 against the greenback. The local unit finally settled at 81.11, registering a rise of 17 paise over its previous close. On Monday, the rupee depreciated by 50 paise to close at 81.28 against the US currency.