Sensex Today | Nifty 50 | Stock Market Live Updates: Sensex rallies over 650 pts, Nifty above 24,100; IT index jumps over 2%

Sensex Today | Nifty 50 | Stock Market Highlights: Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty rallied over 1% on Wednesday, adding over Rs 4 lakh crore to BSE market capitalisation. Sensex jumped nearly 889 points to 77,655, while Nifty surpassed 24,250. Gains were led by HUL and IT heavyweights, despite rising crude oil prices and global tensions.

Asian Paints posted a 40% year-on-year (YoY) jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,539 crore for the first quarter, compared with Rs 1,100 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. The company’s consolidated net sales during the quarter under review rose 18% YoY to Rs 10,521 crore, reflecting strong growth over the year-ago period.

Around 52 equity mutual funds have delivered more than 100% absolute returns over the past five years, according to an analysis by ETMutualFunds. The analysis covered 212 equity funds, with all schemes generating double-digit returns during the period. The lowest return among these funds was over 29% over the five-year timeframe.

Despite strong backing from institutional investors, sentiment in the grey market remains subdued. The IPO is currently trading at a grey market premium (GMP) of around Rs 9, implying a marginal 2% premium over the upper issue price of Rs 590.

Nomura Holdings reported a 39% increase in first-quarter net income, supported by strong performance in its trading business amid volatile market conditions and higher stock prices that boosted fees from its wealth management operations, the Japanese financial group said on Friday.

Adani Group is planning to raise an additional $3 billion to $4 billion over the next six months, continuing its aggressive capital-raising strategy after mobilising ₹43,500 crore through equity fundraising in the past nine months, according to people familiar with the matter.

India’s stock market correction presents an opportunity for investors to accumulate high-quality companies, but caution remains necessary due to elevated crude oil prices, a weak rupee and lacklustre market breadth. According to Sonam Srivastava, founder and CEO of Wright Research, investors should maintain 10-15% cash allocation to manage near-term risks. She recommends focusing on large-cap stocks and adopting a staggered buying approach over the next three to four months to navigate market volatility.

Ace investors including Mukul Agrawal, Ashish Kacholia and Dolly Khanna, who are known for identifying promising small-cap companies early, appear to have trimmed or exited their holdings in 11 stocks during the first quarter of FY27.

Indian government bonds traded in a narrow range on Wednesday as investors remained cautious about taking fresh positions ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy decision and amid a rise in oil prices. The benchmark 6.94% 2036 bond yield stood at 6.7872% by 11:00 a.m. IST, compared with the previous close of 6.7774% on Tuesday. Bond yields move inversely to prices, with higher yields indicating lower bond prices. Investors are closely tracking global cues, including the Fed’s rate outlook and movements in crude oil prices, for direction.

Shares of OLX India operator CarTrade Tech fell more than 7% on Wednesday despite the company reporting a healthy year-on-year improvement in its first-quarter FY27 earnings. The company posted a net profit of Rs 51 crore, marking a 19% increase compared with the same quarter last year.

Revenue from operations rose 16% YoY to Rs 201 crore during the quarter. However, on a sequential basis, CarTrade Tech’s performance weakened, with net profit declining around 21% and revenue slipping nearly 1% compared with the fourth quarter of FY26.

According to a Reuters report, bond investors are turning cautious ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve policy meeting as uncertainty over the inflation outlook and the future path of interest rates drives demand for safer, high-quality assets. Investors are scaling back aggressive positions and adopting a more defensive approach amid concerns over potential shifts in the Fed’s monetary policy stance.

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi has plunged 44% from its June peak, emerging as one of the biggest casualties of the global artificial intelligence (AI) stock selloff following its sharp rally earlier this year. Concerns over stretched AI valuations and the sustainability of massive investments in the sector have triggered a wave of risk aversion among investors.

The index crashed nearly 13% to 5,263 on Wednesday, extending its decline from the June high of 9,386 and firmly remaining in bear market territory. Despite the recent correction, South Korea’s stock market continues to rank as Asia’s best-performing equity market in 2026 so far.

Shares of BlueStone Jewellery and Lifestyle surged nearly 7% on Wednesday, extending their strong rally to around 50% over the past month. The sharp gains came after the company’s robust Q1 earnings performance lifted investor sentiment. However, after the steep upmove, technical indicators suggest that investors should keep an eye on key support and resistance levels to assess the stock’s next move.

Shares of KPIT Technologies gained 4.20% to Rs 627.70 on Wednesday, July 29, ahead of the company’s June quarter (Q1FY27) earnings announcement later in the day. Investors remained focused on the upcoming results, with market participants tracking key metrics such as revenue growth, operational performance, deal wins, and management commentary on the outlook for the coming quarters.

Shares of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) gained nearly 4% to ₹3,967 on the BSE in early Wednesday trading after the engineering and construction major posted a 14% year-on-year (YoY) increase in consolidated net profit at ₹4,123 crore for the first quarter of FY27. The strong earnings performance prompted brokerages to maintain their ‘Buy’ ratings on the stock.

Indian information technology stocks rallied on Tuesday as easing concerns around global AI companies and chipmakers, along with stronger-than-expected first-quarter results, improved investor sentiment toward the sector. The gains came as the IT sector, which has been among the worst performers this year, witnessed renewed buying interest.

Under normal circumstances, a ₹52-crore stake sale in an unlisted asset management company would attract limited attention. However, when the seller is Rajeev Thakkar, the investment veteran behind one of India’s most closely tracked equity schemes, even a small reduction in his personal stake is likely to draw investor interest.

Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL) shares came under significant pressure on Tuesday, hitting a 52-week low of ₹2,019 on the BSE despite the FMCG major reporting its strongest revenue growth in 13 quarters for the June quarter. The stock ended the session at ₹2,023.2, marking its steepest single-day decline of 7% since March 23, 2020, when it had fallen 8.8%. The sharp decline reflected investor concerns over rising input costs, which led to a 40 basis point year-on-year contraction in the company’s EBITDA margin to 23%.

The U.S. dollar hovered near a one-month high on Wednesday, supported by safe-haven demand as renewed tensions in the Middle East boosted risk aversion. Investors also remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve’s key interest rate decision later in the day.

Gold prices edged lower on Wednesday as a stronger dollar weighed on demand for the precious metal, while investors awaited the Federal Reserve’s policy decision for further signals on inflation trends and the future trajectory of US interest rates.