Sensex, Nifty end marginally higher

PTI mumbai

Benchmark BSE Sensex closed higher by 152 points in a volatile session on Wednesday after the Reserve Bank of India kept its key policy rates unchanged for the fourth consecutive time.

The 30-share BSE Sensex rose by 152.05 points, or 0.19%, to end at 78,581, with 17 of its constituents closing with gains, 12 with losses, and one unchanged. 

Gains in blue-chip banking, auto, and capital goods shares in the pre-close session helped the barometer recover from losses. 

UltraTech Cement, NTPC, State Bank of India, Mahindra & Mahindra, InterGlobe Aviation, and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the major winners in the Sensex pack. TCS, HCL Tech, RIL, and BEL were among the laggards. 

The 50-share NSE Nifty edged up 9.75 points, or 0.04%, to end at 24,624.65. It hit a high of 24,677.60 and a low of 24,497.95 during intraday trade. 

The indices have faced wide divergence since Monday after stock exchanges introduced a new auction mechanism for shares having futures and options contracts. 

The Closing Auction Session in the equity cash segment became operational on Monday, introducing a new auction-based mechanism for determining closing prices of eligible stocks to make the price discovery process more transparent and robust. 

"The RBI's MPC has maintained the status quo while marginally upgrading FY27 GDP growth projection, citing a resilient domestic economy. Additionally, annual inflation estimates were lowered, indicating the governor’s open-minded approach, which suggested an optimistic view though further policy action would depend on data," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.