Sensex Nifty Today | Stock Market Highlights: The Indian benchmark indices ended lower today, with both the Sensex and Nifty closing in the red. The Nifty settled just below the 24,250 mark, while the Sensex ended near 79,800. Select Asian markets, however, have started on a strong note. Nikkei is up over 1% after US stock markets extended gains for the second day. This is after Donald Trump announced that he had “no intention” of removing Fed Chair Jerome Powell before his term. The US indices closed the session higher in a range of 1%-2.5%.
Here are key factors markets will look at Thursday’s trade-
- Trump will not fire Jerome Powell: US President Donald Trump said he had “no intention” to remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell before his term. However, recently, Trump criticised Powell and heaped pressure on him to cut key lending rates to boost economic growth, calling him a “major loser” for not doing so.
- Overnight US markets: The key US indices surged on hopes that U.S.-China trade tensions could soon ease and Trump’s plan to not fire Powell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 419.59 points, or 1.07%, to finish at 39,606.57. The S&P 500 rose 1.67% to close at 5,375.86, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 2.50% to settle at 16,708.05.
- Dollar Index: The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was down 0.11% at 99.73 on Thursday morning.
- Gold rate today: Gold prices retreat after crossing the crucial Rs 1 lakh mark per 10 grams as the global uncertainty may come to an end after the US announced it to ease tariffs on China. The 24-carat gold rate today was Rs 94,970/10 grams, down 0.46% from a week ago.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 234 points on Thursday morning while futures linked to the S&P 500 were down 0.5% and Nasdaq-100 futures traded 0.7% lower.
The US dollar also eased on Thursday --- surrendering some of the big gains made during the previous day.
Share market today live updates: Markets close today
Share market today live updates: FMCG stocks under pressure
The FMCG stocks are under pressure today, with the index trading down 1% at 56,919.85. Key laggards include Hindustan Unilever, United Breweries, Varun Beverages, and Britannia, among others.
Share market today live updates: Nifty snapshot
In intraday trading, in the Nifty, out of these, 1,429 stocks advanced, while 1,254 declined and 85 remained unchanged. On the 52-week milestone front, 41 stocks hit a new high, whereas 11 touched a 52-week low. Meanwhile, 101 stocks were locked in the upper circuit, while 31 stocks hit the lower circuit.
Share market today live updates: UBS upgrades India to ‘Neutral’ but prefers China over India
In a shift from its earlier cautious view, global brokerage UBS has upgraded India to a ‘Neutral’ stance in its emerging markets (EM) portfolio. While this marks a more positive outlook for India, UBS continues to favour China, citing better potential returns. The firm believes China currently offers more attractive opportunities due to its lower stock valuations, potential benefits from domestic stimulus measures, and its defensive position in the broader EM landscape.
Read more: UBS upgrades India to ‘Neutral’ but prefers China over India: 3 reasons why
Share market today live updates: Nifty Pharma up 1.3% in weak market
The sectoral index Nifty Pharma is on a winning spree in a weak market. The index was up 1.32% at 22,025.80. Most of the constituents was the sectoral index were trading in the green. Natco Pharma led the charts in Thursday's trade.
Share market today live updates: Key laggards in Sensex 30
Several heavyweight stocks from the Sensex 30 were under pressure in the intraday trading today. Hindustan Unilever was the top laggard, sliding 4.29% following its Q4 results. Bharti Airtel also dipped 1.44%, while Mahindra & Mahindra fell 1.08%. ICICI Bank lost 1.02%, and NTPC edged lower by 0.44%.
Share market today live updates: Top gainers in Sensex 30
In the intraday trade, in Sensex 30 pack, IndusInd Bank led the pack with a strong 5.01% gain, followed by Nestle India which rose 1.05%. FMCG major ITC added 0.96%, while UltraTech Cement gained 0.81%. Tata Motors also moved higher, inching up 0.68%.
Share market today live updates: HUL rises 0.5% post Q4 earnings
Hindustan Unilever's share price was trading 0.54% higher at Rs 2,436.90 after the company reported a fall of 3.7% year-on-year in its quarterly profit for Q4FY25, coming in at Rs 2,464 crore.
Share market today live updates: HUL declares Rs 53 total dividend for FY25
Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL) share price was trading 1% higher after the company announced its Q4FY25 results today. Alongside the earnings, HUL’s board approved a final dividend of Rs 24 per share, bringing the total dividend for the full financial year to Rs 53 per share. However, the company has not yet announced the record date for this dividend payout.
Share market today live updates: HUL and Nestle India in spotlight
With the earnings season in full swing, all eyes are on two of India’s biggest FMCG players Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Nestle India as they gear up to announce their financial performance for the fourth quarter of FY25 today, Thursday, April 24.
Read more: HUL, Nestle Q4 earnings today: 4 key factors to watch ahead of Q4 results
Hong Kong's benchmark index, Hang Seng, declined 1.3% or 288 points to 21,786. It has fallen the most among Asia-Pacific peers. The index has fallen almost 9% in the last one month and erased over 9% of investors' wealth in the previous five years. However, the index has delivered a return of 5% in the past six months.
The domestic equity markets opened Thursday's trade lower on Nifty's monthly expiry. The Nifty 50 lost 40.40 points or 0.17% to open at 24,288.55 while the Sensex opened 158 points or 0.20% lower at 79,958. The midcap stocks broke ranks to trade in the green. The Nifty Midcap 100 rose 50.50 points or 0.09% to 55,092.
Share market today live updates: Bajaj Finance board to consider stock split, bonus, dividend on April 29
Bajaj Finance is set to consider a slew of shareholder-friendly proposals at its upcoming board meeting on April 29. In a regulatory filing, the company said it will evaluate the declaration of a special interim dividend for FY25, a stock split of equity shares with a face value of Rs 2 each, and a bonus share issue, both subject to shareholder approval. The announcement follows an earlier intimation dated April 5, where the company had disclosed the date of its next board meeting.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar's value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was down 0.11% at 99.73 on Thursday morning. The index evaluates the strength or weakness of the US dollar in comparison to major currencies. The basket contains currencies such as the British Pound, Euro, Swedish Krona, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, etc. The rupee depreciated 0.25% to close at 85.42 to the dollar on April 23.
Share market today live updates: FIIs have turned net buyers
Foreign institutional investors (FII) were the net buyers of shares worth Rs 3,332.93 crore. Meanwhile, the Domestic institutional investors (DII) were the net sellers of shares worth Rs 1,234.46 crore on April 23, 2024, according to the provisional data available on the NSE.
Share market today live updates: BPCL forms JV with GPS Renewables
Bharat Petroleum Corporation entered into a joint venture agreement with GPS Renewables Pvt. Ltd. to set up Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants across the country. This joint venture is aimed at deploying advanced waste-to-energy technologies to convert organic biomass waste into CBG—an eco-friendly and renewable energy source.
Share price today live updates: Tata Consumer Products shares in highlight post Q4 results
Tata Consumer Products reported a net profit of Rs 344.85 crore in Q4FY25, a growth of 59.19% in comparison to Rs 216.63 crore recorded during the corresponding quarter of FY24, surpassing street estimates. It posted revenue from operations at Rs 4608.22 crore, up 17.35% as against Rs 3926.94 crore reported during the fourth quarter of the previous financial year. The company's EBIT stood at Rs 620.8 crore.
Share price today live updates: Crude oil prices
The crude oil prices rose on Thursday. WTI crude prices were trading at $62.47, up by 0.33%, while Brent crude prices were trading at $66.34, up by 0.34%, on Thursday morning.