Sensex rebounds 318 pts on expiry day amid FII buying HDFC Bank major mover

Mumbai, Mar 27 (PTI) Benchmark BSE Sensex rebounded by nearly 318 points on Thursday on buying in blue-chip HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, L&T, and Bajaj Finance amid foreign fund inflows.
     The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 317.93 points or 0.41 per cent to settle at 77,606.43 amid the monthly derivative contracts expiry day. During the day, it surged 458.96 points or 0.59 per cent to 77,747.46.
     The NSE Nifty rallied 105.10 points or 0.45 per cent to 23,591.95.
     From the Sensex pack, Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, Larsen & Toubro, UltraTech Cement, Adani Ports, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Zomato, State Bank of India, HDFC Bank and Titan were the biggest gainers.
     Tata Motors tanked over 5.5 per cent after US President Donald Trump announced he would impose 25 per cent tariffs on imported cars.
     Sun Pharma, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech and Mahindra & Mahindra were also among the laggards.
     "Domestic indices maintained optimism throughout the day, driven by sustained foreign fund inflows and the purchase of blue-chip stocks. However, the 25 per cent tariff on auto imports imposed by Trump has affected auto stocks and raised concerns within the pharma sector.
     "Despite these challenges, the broader market demonstrated resilience, supported by expectations of double-digit earnings growth in FY26, driven by easing inflation and a downward trend in interest rates, which are anticipated to improve domestic fundamentals," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.
     Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 2,240.55 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
     The BSE smallcap gauge jumped 0.90 per cent and midcap index climbed 0.46 per cent.
     Among BSE sectoral indices, utilities jumped 2.09 per cent, services (1.61 per cent), realty (1.38 per cent), oil & gas (1.32 per cent), energy (1.22 per cent) and power (1.16 per cent).
     Auto and telecommunication were the laggards.
     In Asian markets, Shanghai and Hong Kong settled in the positive territory while Seoul and Tokyo ended lower. Equity markets in Europe were quoting lower. US markets ended in the negative territory on Wednesday.
     "The shift in FII stance, coupled with strength in banking and financial majors and rotational support from other heavyweights, is sustaining the positive sentiment. However, news related to US tariffs continues to trigger occasional volatility," Ajit Mishra - SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said.
     Global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.23 per cent to USD 73.62 a barrel.
     The BSE benchmark gauge tanked 728.69 points or 0.93 per cent to settle at 77,288.50 on Wednesday. The Nifty dropped 181.80 points or 0.77 per cent to 23,486.85.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)