Markets gained momentum on Friday afternoon, with the Sensex climbing 625.56 points or 0.77 per cent to 81,987.43 and the Nifty rising 185.05 points or 0.75 per cent to 24,978.30, as selective buying emerged despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainties in West Asia.

The benchmark indices opened marginally higher with the Sensex at 81,354.85 against the previous close of 81,361.87, while the Nifty started at 24,787.65 compared to Thursday’s close of 24,793.25. Market breadth remained positive with 2,357 advances against 1,413 declines among 3,939 stocks traded on BSE.

“The market is showing resilience despite the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict creating volatility in global markets,” said a senior market analyst. “Investors are adopting a cautious but opportunistic approach, focusing on fundamentally strong stocks.”

HDFC Life led the Nifty50 gainers, surging 2.61 per cent to ₹779.55 from its previous close of ₹761.85. Jio Financial Services followed with a 2.39 per cent gain to ₹290.90, while Bharti Airtel advanced 2.25 per cent to ₹1,919.20. Mahindra & Mahindra gained 2.09 per cent to ₹3,159.50, and Nestle India rose 1.89 per cent to ₹2,362.80.

On the declining side, Hero MotoCorp dropped 1.73 per cent to ₹4,308.60 from ₹4,384.30. Maruti Suzuki fell 0.58 per cent to ₹12,732.00, Dr Reddy’s declined 0.41 per cent to ₹1,320.70, Infosys slipped 0.40 per cent to ₹1,612.00, and UltraTech Cement retreated 0.33 per cent to ₹11,382.00.

Sectoral indices showed mixed performance with Bank Nifty gaining 491.90 points or 0.89 per cent to 56,065.30, Financial Services advancing 242.45 points or 0.92 per cent to 26,542.10, and Nifty Next 50 rising 525.60 points or 0.80 per cent to 66,377.00. The Nifty Midcap 100 index gained 394.70 points or 0.69 per cent to 57,554.65.

Foreign Institutional Investors and Domestic Institutional Investors continued their buying spree, purchasing ₹934 crore and ₹605 crore worth of equities respectively on June 19. “The sustained institutional buying is providing support to the market despite global headwinds,” noted a fund manager.

Technical analysts highlighted that 72 stocks hit 52-week highs while 75 touched 52-week lows. Additionally, 154 stocks were in the upper circuit compared to 221 in the lower circuit, indicating selective optimism among investors.

“Key support for Nifty lies at 24,700-24,500 levels with resistance around 24,850-25,000,” said a technical analyst. “Bank Nifty support is seen at 55,400 with resistance up to 56,200.”

Market experts advised caution amid escalating West Asia tensions, recommending a shift from overvalued small and mid-cap stocks to safer large-cap sectors including financials, automobiles, industrials, and real estate.

Published on June 20, 2025