Stock Market Live Updates, Sensex Today, October 16: Indian benchmark indices, BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50, continued to trade higher in the noon deals on the last trading day of the week i.e. Friday, led by gains in IT, Auto and Metal stocks.
BSE Sensex was trading 0.33% higher at 74,557 levels, while Nifty 50 was trading 0.37% higher at 23,082 levels.
Among individual stocks, Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS were top gainers, while IndiGo, RIL and Asian Paints were the top drags.
Broader markets were mixed in trade. The Nifty Small Cap 100 index was up 0.19%, while Nifty Mid Cap 100 index was down 0.11%.
Sectorally, IT index extended gains, was up over 2%. Nifty FMCG and Oil and Gas indices were top losers.
Global Cues
Asian markets were mostly higher on Friday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.38%, while the Topix gained nearly 1.8%. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.56%, and Australia’s ASX 200 advanced 1.01%.
On Wall Street, all three major US indices ended higher on Thursday as investors rotated out of key technology stocks and into other market segments. The Dow Jones Industrial Average led the gains, rising more than 500 points, or around 1.1%. The S&P 500 advanced approximately 0.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.1%.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq snapped a three-session losing streak.
For the week, the S&P 500 was down nearly 1%, while the Nasdaq had declined more than 2%. The Dow, in contrast, was on track for a weekly gain of around 1%.
Crude Oil Prices Today
Brent crude traded above $105 per barrel on Friday and was on track for a weekly gain amid mounting supply concerns in the Middle East.
The US Central Command confirmed that a Singapore-flagged container ship that sank in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week had been hit by an Iranian projectile, adding to uncertainty over the recovery of physical oil flows. Tanker rates also climbed to record highs, while rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen heightened concerns over potential supply disruptions.
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency agreed to proceed with the release of the remaining 100 million barrels of oil from a coordinated intervention launched in March. Separately, US Energy Information Administration data showed that crude inventories fell by 8.6 million barrels last week, marking their steepest decline since February.
Brent underperformed US West Texas Intermediate crude during the week, as lower shipping costs for US oil supported demand for American barrels.
Q2 Results Today
As many as 31 companies are scheduled to announce their September-quarter earnings on Friday, October 16.
The list includes Amal, Artson, Aurum Proptech, Bajaj Housing Finance, Benares Hotels, Bright Outdoor Media, Citi Port Financial Services, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals, DLF, E2E Networks, Federal Bank, Gujarat Hotels, HOM, Himadri Speciality Chemical, Indo Rama Synthetics (India), Jayaswal Neco Industries, Jindal Saw, LTM, Modison, Oberoi Realty, Onward Technologies, Paushak, Punjab National Bank, Raghav Productivity Enhancers, SG Finserve, Shoppers Stop, Solara Active Pharma Sciences, Tejas Networks, Tiger Logistics (India), Ujjivan Small Finance Bank and Urban Company.
Among the key companies to watch are Bajaj Housing Finance, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals, DLF, Federal Bank, Himadri Speciality Chemical, Jindal Saw, LTM, Oberoi Realty, Punjab National Bank, Shoppers Stop, Tejas Networks and Urban Company.