Defence stocks drive market, mixed mid‑ and small‑cap activity

The trading session on Thursday saw a cautious tone across Indian equities. The Sensex was up 163 points to 78,743 and the Nifty edged higher to 24,636. Defence‑related shares acted as the main catalyst, with the Nifty India Defence index climbing 1.25 % to lead the market. Gains were also evident in Consumer Durables, Pharma, PSU Banks, Healthcare and Oil & Gas, while Real Estate, Auto, Energy, IT, Media, Commodities and PSE indices moved into the red. The Nifty Mid‑Cap 100 slipped 78 points to 63,527, whereas the Small‑Cap 100 rose 79 points to 19,859. Among the 30 Sensex stocks, the winners list featured Titan, Eternal, BEL, State Bank of India, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank, L&T, Bajaj Finance, Tata Steel, ITC, Bajaj Finserv, Tech Mahindra, Bharat Airtel and Sun Pharma. The losers comprised Power Grid, Trent, Mahindra & Mahindra, Axis Bank, UltraTech Cement, TCS, NTPC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Infosys, HDFC Bank and Indigo. Global cues were mixed, with Asian markets such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul and Jakarta posting declines, while Shanghai gained. US markets closed with the Dow up 0.49 % and the Nasdaq down 0.83 %. Analysts point out that the market’s support levels remain robust; crossing 24,775 would confirm strength, and an advance beyond 24,650 may trigger a breakout rally. Foreign Institutional Investors reduced equity positions by ₹943.42 crore, and Domestic Institutional Investors withdrew ₹2,883.17 crore.