Market Closing: Sensex Adds 364 pts, Nifty Nears 19650 Post RBI Policy; Godrej Ind Up 20%

Domestic equities rallied on Friday as the Reserve Bank of India maintained inflation and GDP growth forecast for FY24 at 5.4 per cent and 6.5 per cent, respectivly, despite global headwinds. The central bank also kept repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent for a fourth straight policy.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex gained 364 points, or 0.55 per cent, to end at 65,996, while the Nifty50 closed at 19,654, higher by 108 points or 0.55 per cent.

Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Titan, IndusInd Bank, Tata Consumer Products, ITC, UPL, JSW Steel, NTPC, HDFC Life, Tech M, TCS, Maruti Suzuki, and Infosys jumped between 1 per cent and 5.6 per cent, emerging as the top gainers on the 50-stock index.

On the downside, HUL, Coal India, ONGC, Asian Paints, Bharti Airtel, Britannia, and Nestle India fell up to 0.8 per cent.

The broader markets, too, advanced in-line with the benchmarks with the BSE MidCap and SmallCap index up 0.66 per cent and 0.56 per cent, respectively.

Among sectors, the Nifty Realty index climbed 3 per cent, followed by the Nifty Financial Services index (up 1 per cent).