Sensex Today | Stock Market Highlights: Nifty holds 25,900 despite midcap pressure; banks lead gains

HomeMarket NewsSensex Today | Stock Market Highlights: Nifty holds 25,900 despite midcap pressure; banks lead gains

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Sensex Today | Stock Market Highlights: Indian equities ended the session largely flat, with benchmarks stuck in a narrow range as gains in banks, autos and metals offset weakness in broader markets. The Sensex slipped 20 points to 84,675, while the Nifty closed 3 points lower at 25,939.

Banks outperformed, with the Nifty Bank rising 239 points to 59,171, led by PSU lenders ahead of quarterly business updates. In contrast, the midcap index fell 87 points to 59,914, and market breadth remained negative, with the advance-decline ratio at 3:4.

Autos and metals helped limit losses. The Nifty Auto index gained nearly 2% ahead of monthly wholesales data, while the metal index rose about 2%, tracking firm global metal prices. SAIL, NALCO, JSPL, JSL and NMDC were among the top midcap gainers, up 3–5%.

On the downside, Eternal was among the top Nifty losers, down 2% amid reports of the Blinkit CFO’s resignation. IndiGo slipped more than 1% after announcing a hike in pilot allowances.

In individual stocks, Shriram Finance jumped 3% following a rating upgrade, while Hero MotoCorp snapped a three-day losing streak on expectations of healthy December sales. Defence stocks extended losses, with Mazagon Dock leading the decline.

Among mid and small caps, Indo Count surged 15% on a positive brokerage note, Nazara Tech rose 5% as concerns around mutual fund stake sales eased, and Timex Group rebounded 7%. On the other hand, Amber Enterprises fell 4%, Dixon Technologies declined for the seventh straight session, and stocks such as Titagarh Rail, NCC, HFCL and Cyient dropped up to 3% after exiting the F&O segment.

Watch this space for all the live updates.