The domestic equity barometers pared early losses in morning trade. While banks, financials, autos and FMCG shares declined, pharma, metal and IT stocks bucked the trend. The Nifty was trading above the 14,200 mark. A steep surge in COVID-19 infections in the country weighed on the sentiment.
At 10:21 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 209.33 points or 0.44% to 47,496.47. The Nifty 50 index lost 50.20 points or 0.35% to 14,246.20.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index slipped 0.19% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.29%.
The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1341 shares rose and 1069 shares fell. A total of 137 shares were unchanged.
COVID-19 Update:
Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 143,511,162 with 3,055,894 deaths.
India reported 2,291,428 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 184,657 deaths, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday imposed additional restrictions on travel within the state and the city, and a further reduction in attendance in government offices and such private offices that fall under the essential or exempted category. These curbs will kick in at 8 pm Thursday and be in force till 7 am on 1 May 2021.
In its second-highest single-day jump thus far, Maharashtra reported 67,468 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking its tally beyond the 40 lakh mark. Maharashtra also recorded an all-time high of 568 deaths. The toll rose to 61,911.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged the industry to wait and watch for next few days to assess the situation amid the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic and assured them of full government support. She was addressing the FICCI National Executive Committee Members through virtual mode.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty Pharma index rose 1.20% to 13,588.30, advancing for fifth day. The index has added 6.10% in five sessions.
Alkem Laboratories (up 4.11%), Cadila Healthcare (up 2.11%), Dr. Reddy's Labs (up 1.87%), Aurobindo Pharma (up 1.77%), Sun Pharma (up 1.64%), Cipla (up 0.90%), Lupin (up 0.87%) and Torrent Pharma (up 0.50%) advanced while Divi's Labs declined 0.53%.
Earnings Today:
Cyient (up 0.72%), Fineotex Chemical (up 2.18%), Filatex India (up 1.01%), Indus Towers (down 0.45%), Rallis India (up 3.38%) and Tata Elxsi (up 1.73%) will announce quarterly earnings today.
Earnings Impact:
Tata Steel BSL jumped 4.08% to Rs 59.95 after the company's consolidated net profit surged to Rs 1913.35 crore in Q4 FY21 from Rs 5.93 crore in Q4 FY20. Net sales during the quarter increased by 66.6% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 6773.81 crore.
The company's borrowings declined to Rs 10,426.68 crore as on 31 March 2021 from Rs 15,732.57 crore as on 31 March 2020. Net cash generated from operating activities was Rs 8,160.46 crore as on 31 March 2021 as against Rs 1,866.17 crore as on 31 March 2020.
Tata Steel Long Products gained 1.89% to Rs 850. On a consolidated basis, the company reported a net profit of Rs 339.86 crore in Q4 March 2021 compared with net loss of Rs 133.23 crore in Q4 March 2020. Revenue from operations during the quarter surged 53.40% YoY to Rs 1,546.74 crore.
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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