Budget week has not sparked any significant excitement in the market as the government measures were both populist and prudent. The increase in short- and long-term capital gains taxes added to the volatility.
During the week, as many as 132 smallcap stocks delivered double digit weekly returns with eight of them offering over 25% returns.
Antony Waste Handling Cell was the top gainer in the smallcap pack with 49.4% return, followed by MTNL (40%), Bhagiradha Chemicals and Industries (35.4%), and PC Jewellers (27.5%).
About 12 stocks including Indian Hume Pipe, GHCL Textile, Thyrocare Technologies, Associated Alcohols, Associated Alcohols, RSWM, Ambika Cotton Mills, IFCI among others have offered returns between 20-25% during the week.
In the midcap segment, five stocks including IDBI Bank, Indian Hotels, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, among others have risen in double digits. While IDBI Bank has gained 17.21%, Indian Hotels and Hindustan Petroleum were up 12% and 12%, respectively.
Among the Sensex pack, Tata Motors topped the charts with nearly 13% returns, followed by Sun Pharma at 9.2% and NTPC at 8.8%.
Despite the volatility induced by the budget, the market has now recovered its losses from budget day, driven by positive US GDP data and expectations of