Stock recommendations for 19 December from MarketSmith India
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Stock market recap: Indian stock market benchmarks–the Sensex and the Nifty 50–ended flat with negative biases on Thursday, 18 December 18, due to a lack of fresh triggers. The Sensex closed 78 points, or 0.09%, lower at 84,481.81, while the Nifty 50 settled at 25,815.55, down 3 points, or 0.01%.
The BSE Midcap index ended with modest gains of 0.05%, while the Smallcap index fell 0.28%. IT stocks, including Infosys, TCS, and Tech Mahindra, were key support for the Sensex. On the other hand, select heavyweights such as HDFC Bank, Sun Pharma, and Bharti Airtel remained the top drags on the index.
Buy: Canara HSBC Life Insurance Co. Ltd (current price: ₹127.50) Indian equities ended marginally lower on Wednesday, with the Nifty 50 closing almost flat at 25,815, slipping 3 points amid a choppy session marked by global caution ahead of key central-bank commentary. The index traded within a narrow band of 25,726–25,902, reflecting hesitant risk appetite after recent record highs.
Broader market breadth was weak, with 1,827 stocks declining vs. 1,273 advancing, indicating pressure outside the headline indices. On the sectoral front, IT outperformed sharply, rising 1.2% on continued optimism around improving US tech spending, while Consumer Durables and Financial Services also posted modest gains.
On the downside, Auto, Pharma, and FMCG saw profit-taking, and Media remained under pressure. Metals were slightly positive, supported by stable commodity cues. Nifty 50 extended its consolidation phase and marginally closed below the 50-DMA, signaling a mild deterioration in short-term momentum as the index struggles to regain directional strength.
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