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| Photo Credit: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed higher on August 21 after two days of decline, supported by buying in index majors Infosys, ITC and Bajaj Finance amid a mixed trend in global markets.
In a range-bound trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 267.43 points or 0.41% to settle at 65,216.09. During the day, it jumped 387.16 points or 0.59% to 65,335.82.
The NSE Nifty gained 83.45 points or 0.43% to end at 19,393.60.
Bajaj Finance was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 2.70%, followed by Power Grid, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, ITC, Bajaj Finserv, Infosys, Nestle, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Titan and Axis Bank.
Reliance Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti and State Bank of India were among the laggards.
Meanwhile, shares of Jio Financial Services, the demerged financial services unit of Reliance Industries, listed on the bourses on Monday.
In Asian markets, Seoul and Tokyo settled in the green, while Shanghai and Hong Kong ended lower.
European markets were trading with gains. The US markets ended on a mixed note on Friday.
“A rebound in the global market after a significant correction prompted buying in domestic equities, particularly within the IT sector. However, the potential for volatility to linger in the near term remains due to the increasing dollar index and elevated US bond yields, fuelled by concerns about rate hikes.
“Investors are keenly observing the commentary from the Fed chair during its forthcoming summer conference for interest rate insights,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹266.98 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.60% to $85.31 a barrel.
The BSE benchmark had declined 202.36 points or 0.31% to settle at 64,948.66 on Friday. The Nifty dipped 55.10 points or 0.28% to end at 19,310.15.
