Stock market today: Domestic equity benchmarks extended losses to a second straight session on Friday, October 13, dragged by IT and financial shares through gains in auto stocks arrested the fall. 

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Both headline indices declined 0.2 per cent for the day. The Sensex shed 125.7 points to end at 66,282.7 and the Nifty lost 43 points to settle at 19,751.1.

Twenty-seven stocks in the Nifty basket finished the day below the flatline, with Axis Bank, Adani Enterprises, Infosys, State Bank of India (SBI) and Wipro being the worst hit with losses to the tune of 1-2 per cent. On the flipside, Tata Motors, IndusInd Bank, HCL Tech, Tata Consumer Products and Nestle India were the top gainers, rising between around 2-5 per cent for the day.

The high-beta Nifty Bank index dropped 0.7 per cent to finish at 44,288.

Broader indices Nifty Midcap 100 and Smallcap 100 fell 0.2 and 0.4 per cent, respectively. 

Overall market breadth was largely neutral, as 1,805 stocks rose and 1,859 fell on BSE. 

"During the day, benchmarks recouped from early losses and traded to almost neutral lines with a positive bias. Losses were contained after the report of India's merchandise trade deficit, which fell to a five-month low. On the sectoral front, defensives and auto sector traded in green while rate sensitives and cyclicals traded in red followed by IT," said Narendra Solanki, Head Fundamental Research-Investment Services at Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers.

BUZZING STOCKS 

  • HDFC AMC rose 3.5 per cent after the company posted a strong set of Q2 numbers.
  • IRCON International surged 10.2 per cent and RITES gained 5.4 per cent after both the companies received the Navratna status.
  • Tata Motors shares jumped 4.8 per cent. 
  • Infosys shares declined 2.2 per cent after the IT firm lowered its full-year revenue forecast.
  • Axis Bank shares fell 2.3 per cent after UBS lowered its rating for the stock to 'neutral' with a reduced price target. 

GLOBAL MARKETS 

World shares slipped and oil prices soared Friday on deepening concern over the Israel-Hamas war. US futures edged lower, auguring more losses after a retreat Thursday driven by rising bond yields. Oil prices gained about $3 early Friday after Israel’s military ordered hundreds of thousands of civilians living in Gaza City to evacuate ahead of a possible ground offensive. 

The directive followed what the United Nations said was a warning from Israel to evacuate 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza within 24 hours. Since their summertime leap and subsequent regression a couple of weeks ago, crude oil prices have been jolted by the fighting in Gaza. The worry is that violence could lead to disruptions in the supply of petroleum.

With inputs from agencies

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