MARKET WRAP: Sensex slips 129 pts, Nifty ends at 11,073; RIL declines 2%

The domestic stock market ended Friday's volatile session in the negative territory, weighed down by heavyweights Reliance Industries (RIL) and the HDFC twins. Weak global markets following disappointing US gross domestic product (GDP) data, too, dented investor sentiment.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended 129 points or 0.34 per cent lower at 37,607 while the Nifty50 index gave up the 11,100-mark to settle at 11,073, down 29 points or 0.26 per cent. India VIX declined nearly 3 per cent to 24 levels. 

On a weekly basis, Sensex fell 1.36 per cent while NSE's Nifty slipped 1 per cent.

Among individual stocks, shares of RIL ended 2 per cent lower at Rs 2,067 apiece on the BSE after the company reported a profit before tax (PBT) of Rs 8,542 crore against Rs 14,366 crore reported during the same quarter last year. The company's net profit, however, rose about 31 per cent to Rs 13,233 crore against Rs 10,104 crore in the same quarter last year. READ MORE

State Bank of India (SBI) ended over 2.6 per cent up at Rs 191.45 after the lender posted 36.8 cent rise in profit before tax (PBT) at Rs 5,559.7 crore for the quarter ended June 2020 (Q1FY21) on robust growth in net interest income. 

The sectoral trend on the NSE was mixed. While pharma, PSU banks, and realty counters advanced, auto and private banks ended flat with negative bias. Nifty Pharma index gained the most - up 3.6 per cent to 11,148.90 levels.

In the broader market, the Nifty Smallcap 100 index gained over 0.8 per cent to 5,011 while the Nifty Midcap 100 closed 0.4 per cent higher at 15,471 points.

Global markets

Asian shares turned lower in a choppy session on Friday as abysmal economic data from the United States and rising global Covid-19 cases darkened the mood, despite strong US tech earnings and manufacturing recoveries in China and Japan.

European shares were largely flat after encouraging earnings updates from Nokia, BNP Paribas and others countered concerns about a global economic recovery as coronavirus cases surged globally.

The US dollar was also set for its worst month in a decade amid expectations the Fed will maintain its ultra-loose monetary policy for years.

In commodities, oil prices rose and were on track for monthly gains, boosted by a weaker dollar in the face of continuing concerns over the recovery of the US economy as the coronavirus ravages the world’s biggest economy and oil consumer.

(With inputs from Reuters)