In a day of lackluster trading, Indian equity benchmarks BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 managed to eke out minor gains, closing little changed following a rangebound session. The Sensex rose by 75 points to reach 60,131, while the Nifty gained 26 points, closing at 17,769. The Nifty Bank, on the other hand, gained 43 points to reach 42,679, while the Midcap index slipped 29 points to end at 31,181.
Despite the lack of momentum in the overall market, all Adani Group stocks managed to close in the green, with three stocks hitting the upper circuit. Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Finserv saw buying ahead of their earnings, each gaining two percent. IndusInd Bank also ended two percent higher after a positive management commentary.
However, it wasn't all good news in the financial sector, with HDFC group stocks seeing profit booking, causing HDFC Life to fall by more than three percent. The market was also disappointed with Crompton Consumer, which slid by 12 percent on top management realignment.
Meanwhile, Nestle reported slightly better-than-expected earnings, leading to its stock ending flat. ABB Global's major increase in India orders had a positive impact on ABB India, while IndiaMART saw a rise of more than two percent on the back of the company's plan to consider a bonus issue.
Despite the day's muted trading, investors remain eager for more financial results from India Inc, with Bajaj Auto and Tata Consumer due to post their earnings later in the day. The market breadth was neutral with an advance-decline ratio of 1:1, and BSE companies gaining a market cap of Rs 70,000 crore.