Sensex, Nifty Climb As Health Care Stocks Rally On RBI Easing

India stocks rose after the central bank unveiled measures to further support the economy as coronavirus cases continue to surge.

The S&P BSE Sensex gained 0.9% to 48,677.55, while the NSE Nifty 50 Index advanced by the same magnitude. The broader market too did well as the breadth remained in favour of the bulls. Around 1,842 stocks advanced, 1,097 declined while 173 remained unchanged on the BSE Ltd.

A gauge of healthcare stocks climbed 3% to 24,043, a record close, while the S&P BSE Bankex snapped three-day losses to add 1.9%. The benchmark 10-year yield was down 3 basis points to 5.97% as Das announced a second tranche of bond purchases for May 20. The rupee was largely steady at 73.91 to a dollar.

The benchmark Sensex had declined for the previous three sessions as coronavirus cases climb to new records. The Covid-19 wave will probably worsen before it starts to taper off sometime later this month, forecasters warn.

Shares of the tyre maker rose after its fourth-quarter net income beat the average analyst estimate.

• Net income Rs 153 crore vs. Rs 51.88 crore y/y, estimate Rs 110 crore
• Revenue Rs 2,290 crore, +46% y/y, estimate Rs 2,194 crore
• Total costs Rs 2,160 crore, +45% y/y
• Dividend per share Rs 18
• Clears additional Rs 1,210 crore investment by way of Capex

• SBI Life options volume 2.8x the 20-day average, with 21,297 calls changing hands vs 6,106 puts
  • Stock down 0.8%, volume 1.7x the 20-day average for this time of day
• ONGC options volume 2.1x the average, with 9,974 calls vs 2,417 puts
  • Stock up 1.6%, volume 1.5x the average
• Sun Pharma options volume 1.5x the average, with 33,343 calls vs 8,689 puts
  • Stock up 4.5%, volume 1.5x the average
• Nifty 50 options volume 0.5x the average, with 5.07 million calls vs 3.99 million puts; gauge up 0.7%
  • Cost of hedging as measured by the 90/110, one-month skew ranks in the 99th percentile over the past year
• Nifty Bank index options volume 0.6x the average, with 8.97 million calls vs 7.58 million puts; gauge up 1.5%
  • 90/110, one-month skew in the 48th percentile
• India VIX Index down 3%