Benchmark stock market indices closed flat on Thursday despite global and domestic positive triggers as investors booked profit after Dalal Street witnessed 3-consecutive days of positive movement.
The S&P BSE Sensex was up just 12.16 points to close at 84,478.67, while the NSE Nifty50 ended at 25,879.15, just 3 points up.
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said that equities closed flat after a positive session, as profit-booking erased early gains despite optimistic global and domestic cues.
“Sentiment was buoyed by Trump signing a short-term funding bill to end the U.S. government shutdown and hopes of tariff relief for India. The record-low October inflation prints reinforced expectations of an RBI rate cut, making rate-sensitive sectors like metals and realty attractive to investors. However, amidst continued outflows from FII and a weak rupee, profit-booking emerged at elevated levels ahead of the Bihar election results, which left the benchmark indices largely unchanged by the close,” he added.
Asian Paints led the rally with a rise of 3.81%, followed by ICICI Bank, which gained 1.99%. Power Grid jumped 1.16%, while Larsen & Toubro (L&T) also added 1.16%. Bajaj Finserv was the fifth-biggest gainer, rising 0.90% as buying interest came back into select financial stocks.
Eternal saw the steepest fall, slipping 3.63%, followed by Tech Mahindra Ventures, which dropped 2.26%. Maruti Suzuki also declined sharply by 1.45%, while Trent fell 1.19%. Tata Steel completed the list of top losers, ending the session with a drop of 1.15%.
Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said that going forward, some consolidation cannot be ruled out after the recent rally, as the Nifty has approached the 26,000–26,100 resistance zone, coinciding with its previous swing high.
“However, the overall undertone remains constructive, supported by resilience in key sectors such as banking and IT. Traders are advised to adopt a stock-specific approach, focusing on sectoral outperformers like banking, auto, and metals, while maintaining a disciplined risk management strategy amid potential volatility,” he added.
