Sensex Today | Stock Market Highlights: Sensex dips 114 points in rangebound trade; Nifty closes flat

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Sensex Today | Stock Market Highlights: Indian equity benchmarks erased most of their intraday gains to end a choppy trading session on a muted note, with losses in Hindustan Unilever and TCS outweighing gains in Mahindra & Mahindra, ICICI Bank and Reliance Industries.

The Sensex closed 114 points lower at 77,844.52, while the Nifty 50 ended largely flat at 24,326.65.

The benchmarks had swung between gains and losses through the day before ending marginally lower.

Market breadth remained firmly positive, with the NSE advance-decline ratio standing at 2:1, aided by continued strength in the broader markets. The Midcap index outperformed the frontline indices, surging 676 points to hit a record closing high of 62,003 — its first-ever close above the 62,000 mark.

Among sectoral indices, defence stocks emerged as the top gainers. Paras Defence rallied nearly 9%, while Bharat Dynamics and Bharat Forge also posted strong gains amid renewed buying interest in the space.

Nifty Bank bucked the weak headline trend, rising 66 points to end at 56,047.

Auto stocks remained in focus as Bajaj Auto climbed nearly 3% after reporting strong Q4 earnings and announcing a share buyback. Hero MotoCorp extended its previous session’s rally, gaining over 3% on the back of upbeat management commentary.

In the broader market, Bharat Forge jumped nearly 7% following its Q4 results, while Paytm, Polycab, Bharat Dynamics, and CG Power featured among the top midcap gainers.

On the downside, HUL, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Titan, and ITC weighed on the Nifty, keeping the benchmarks under pressure. Coal India also ended lower following reports of a potential government stake sale.

Among earnings-driven movers, Godrej Consumer Products fell more than 5% after its Q4 results, while Meesho rose 2% post its quarterly earnings announcement.

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