Technology and consumer staples led the gains, with Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Hindustan Unilever and Nestle among the top Nifty performers. Buying interest in large-cap IT names followed optimism around potential deal wins, while FMCG stocks advanced on hopes of margin resilience despite elevated input costs.
Shares of Eternal extended their upward momentum, scaling a record high after a positive brokerage note. Hotel stocks also gained, with Indian Hotels climbing 4% on expectations of sustained demand during the festive season.
In contrast, weakness was seen in defence and financial stocks. Bharat Electronics and Bajaj Finance were among the top drags on the benchmark. Gold loan financiers slipped as bullion prices retreated, with Muthoot Finance falling about 2%.Pharmaceuticals also came under pressure, with Aurobindo Pharma shedding 4% after reports suggested the company had emerged as a frontrunner to acquire Zentiva, raising investor concerns over deal valuations.
Among individual movers, Ola Electric surged 20% to hit the upper circuit with trading volumes crossing ₹100 crore. Small-cap names Sky Gold and Carborundum Universal jumped between 14% and 15%, while Vedanta closed lower but off its intraday lows amid fresh updates around its demerger plans.
Online gaming-related stocks came under heavy selling after the government moved ahead with a prohibition law on money games. Nazara Technologies slumped 12%. PG Electroplast also erased strong intraday gains, slipping 7% from the day’s high to end marginally weaker.
Market breadth was positive, with the advance-decline ratio at 3:2, signaling broader strength in equities despite profit-taking in select pockets.
