The Indian stock market extended its positive momentum for the second consecutive session on Thursday, with the BSE Sensex rising 274 points or 0.35% to close at 77,928.15 and the Nifty 50 index settling at 24,317.15, up 67 points or 0.28%. According to latest reports, gains in select heavyweight stocks including Reliance, HDFC Bank, and Mahindra & Mahindra supported the market, while mid and small-cap segments faltered following the US Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates unchanged but signal potential rate hikes could begin as early as September. In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.20% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index dropped 0.35%, indicating continued selective weakness across mid and small-cap segments.
Sectoral indices are trading mixed today with stocks in IT sector and oil & gas sector witnessed buying, while stocks in realty sector and services sector witnessed selling pressure. According to latest market data, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, and TCS are among the top gainers today, while Adani Ports, Bharat Elec, and Axis Bank are among the top losers. The BSE 150 MidCap index is trading 0.20% lower and the BSE 250 SmallCap index is trading 0.35% lower, indicating broad-based weakness across mid and small-cap segments. Syrma SGS Technology rallied 3.40% after reporting exceptional Q1 FY27 results with consolidated net profit jumping 101.2% year-on-year to ₹100 crore and revenue rising 68.3% to ₹1,589 crore.
The real estate sector faced significant pressure with the Nifty realty index dropping 2.09% to 899.25, marking a 2.40% decline over two consecutive trading sessions. As reported by Business Standard, major realty stocks declined substantially, with Prestige Estates Projects falling 3.51%, DLF down 2.19%, and Godrej Properties declining 2.13%. Other notable declines included Aditya Birla Real Estate (down 1.94%), Lodha Developers (down 1.91%), Anant Raj (down 1.52%), Oberoi Realty (down 1.45%), Phoenix Mills (down 1.44%), and Sobha (down 1.1%). The sector's underperformance contributed to the overall market weakness despite the Sensex's modest gains.
Several major companies reported mixed quarterly results that impacted individual stock performance. According to Business Standard, EFC (I dropped 5.24% despite reporting a 52% jump in consolidated net profit to ₹70.85 crore in Q1 FY27, with revenue rising 29% to ₹282.88 crore compared to the corresponding quarter last year. Hexaware Technologies tumbled 6.38% after reporting a 13% year-on-year decline in profit to ₹330.2 crore for Q2 CY26, though revenue increased 17.9% to ₹3,845.2 crore from ₹3,260.7 crore in Q2 CY25. Vedanta Oil & Gas slipped 3.04% despite reporting a consolidated net profit of ₹945 crore for Q1 FY27 compared with a net loss of ₹103 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, though the quarter included a one-time loss of ₹441 crore. Bajaj Housing Finance declined 1.81% after reporting a 22.6% year-on-year increase in net profit to ₹715 crore for Q1 FY27.
In the foreign exchange market, the Indian rupee edged higher against the dollar, hovering at 95.6225 compared with its close of 95.7625 during the previous trading session. The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper was up 0.07% to 6.801 from the previous close of 6.776. In commodities, MCX Gold futures for 5 August 2026 settlement rose 0.33% to ₹1,42,254, while Brent crude for September 2026 settlement lost 91 cents or 1.03% to $87.18 per barrel. The US Dollar Index (DXY) was up 0.08% to 100.81, and the United States 10-year bond yield jumped 1.67% to 4.699.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) demonstrated strong buying interest, purchasing shares worth ₹2,981.87 crore on July 29, 2026, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of ₹998.02 crore in the Indian equity market. This institutional support provided underlying strength to the market despite mixed sectoral performance and selective selling in realty and banking stocks, with the Sensex closing at 77,928.15 and the Nifty 50 settling at 24,317.15 for the second consecutive session.
