Defying intraday turbulence, Indian stocks concluded higher on Wednesday, with metal and auto sectors stealing the show. The Sensex gained 0.06% or 50.15 points to 82,276.07; Nifty rose 0.23% or 57.85 points to 25,482.50.
Early IT momentum peaked Sensex at 82,957.91, but end-session large-cap pressure moderated advances. Resilient performers: Nifty Metal +2.70%, Nifty Auto +1.85%, Nifty Pharma +1.85%. Healthcare added 1.59%, IT 1.57%, Manufacturing 1.35%, Defence 0.93%, Commodities 0.75%.
Declines hit PSU Banks (-0.39%), Infra (-0.30%), FMCG (-0.25%), Realty (-0.19%). Midcaps climbed 0.58% to 59,406.10; smallcaps 0.94% to 17,118.70.
Sensex toppers: HCL Tech, Tata Steel, TCS, Indigo, Sun Pharma, M&M, Maruti Suzuki, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Infosys, BEL, L&T, Tech Mahindra, Titan, NTPC, Power Grid, HUL, UltraTech. Bottom: SBI, Eternal, Airtel, ITC, Kotak, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Trent.
FII flows turned narrative: Monday’s Rs 3,483.70 crore buying outweighed Tuesday’s minor sell-off, hinting at renewed confidence. This could propel further upside if sustained.