Sensex, Nifty close higher on banks, energy stocks

By Reuters

  • 23 Jan 2020
Credit: Reuters

India's main stock indexes ended higher for the first time this week on Thursday, driven by gains in banking and energy stocks.

The NSE Nifty 50 index closed 0.6% higher at 12,180.35, while the S&P BSE Sensex ended up 0.66% at 41,386.40.

The market gained after some mild consolidation during the week, said Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Financial Services.

A slew of disappointing earnings had weighed on the market earlier this week, with Nifty 50 and Sensex losing about 2% each in the past three sessions.

On Thursday, the banking sector dominated the gains, with the Nifty Bank Index rising 1% and Nifty Public Sector Bank Index firming up 1.24%.

Yes Bank jumped 6.6% and was the best performer in the Nifty 50.

Meanwhile, the Nifty energy index ended up 1.1%, with Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) gaining 4.14%.

India oil ministry wants state refiners such as IOC to buy oil from Brazil under annual deals, a source said on Wednesday.

Zee Entertainment lost about 7%, making it the top loser in the Nifty 50.