Market round-up: Heavy selling drags benchmark indices; Sensex slips below 51K, Nifty holds above 15,000

Both the benchmark indices, the NSE Nifty and the BSE Sensex, ended at lower levels on Friday dragged down by heavy selling across the board. The indices lost the gains of the previous three trading sessions. While the BSE Sensex closed 487 points or 0.95 percent lower, slipping below the 51,000 level and ending at 50,792.08, the NSE Nifty held 15,000, ending at 15,030.95, which was down 143.85 points or 0.95 percent. All the sectoral indices ended in the red with auto, banks, pharma and FMCG falling over 1 percent each. However, the small-cap index outperformed the benchmark indices. It gained 0.52 percent on Friday. In Nifty, the major losers were Bajaj Auto, Adani Ports, Hindalco, SBI Life Insurance and HDFC Life. The five top gainers were BPCL, IOC, Power Grid Corporation, JSW Steel and Titan Company. The top five gainers at NIFTY were: BPCL: The share price of BPCL jumped 3.05 percent to close at Rs 459.10. IOC: Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s shares surged 2.58 percent to end at Rs 101.40. Power Grid Corporation: Shares of the company closed at Rs 220, witnessing a gain of 2.25 percent. JSW Steel: Shares of the subsidiary of JSW Group rose 0.91 percent to end at Rs 417.75. Titan Company: Titan Company Limited shares rose 0.8 percent to end at Rs 1,483. The top five losers at Nifty were: Bajaj Auto: The shares fell 3.01 percent to end at Rs 3,751. Adani Ports: India’s largest private multi-port operator’s shares fell 2.97 percent to end the day at Rs 723.25. HDFC Life: The life insurance provider lost 2.67 percent, with its shares ending at Rs 711.80. SBI Life: The company’s shares lost 2.66 percent and ended at Rs 915.70. Hindalco: Shares of the aluminium and copper manufacturing company ended at Rs 331.50, a fall of 2.6 percent. The top five gainers in the BSE Sensex are: Power Grid Corporation: The company’s stocks surged 2.28 percent to end at Rs 220. Titan Company: Shares of the company closed at Rs 1,482.50, witnessing a gain of 0.76 percent. ONGC: The share price of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation jumped 0.60 percent to close at Rs 115.05. Infy: The multinational technology company’s shares rose 0.48 percent to close at Rs 1,374.60. Bajaj Finance: The financial services company’s shares went up by 0.24 percent to end the day at Rs 5,554.65. The top five losers at BSE Sensex are: Bajaj Auto: The shares fell 3.10 percent to end at Rs 3,747.50. Maruti: The automaker’s stocks lost 2.40 percent to close at Rs 7,099.85 ICICI Bank: The banking and financial services company was the third biggest loser on Friday, with its shares tumbling 2.06 percent, to end the session at Rs 612.85. Sun Pharma: The pharmaceutical company’s shares lost 2.04 percent and ended at Rs 613.25. Reliance: Shares of Reliance Industries ended at Rs 2,138.65, a fall of 1.97 percent.