Indian share market closed the calendar year 2021 on a positive note, with benchmark Sensex surging 460 points in the last trading session of the year. The market opened higher today and continued its positive momentum throughout the day, tracking firm cues from Asian peers as investors bet on a speedy economic recovery in 2022 despite the rise in Omicron cases across the world.

In the calendar year 2021, the Sensex notched a solid gain of 22%, or 10,503 points, touching a new lifetime high of 62,245 on October 19, 2021. The Nifty also rallied 23.8%, or 3,335 points, during the year.

On Friday, the BSE Sensex ended 459.5 points, or 0.8%, higher at 58,253, and the NSE Nifty rallied 150 points, or 0.87%, to settle at 17,354. During the day’s trade, the Sensex moved in a narrow range, hitting an intraday high of 58,409, while Nifty touched the psychological mark of 17,400 points.

The broader markets also ended on a robust note, with the S&P BSE Midcap and the S&P BSE Smallcap indices rising 1.38% and 1.16%, respectively.

The overall market breadth on the BSE was strong, with 2,565 stocks advancing against 1,038 declining shares, while 122 remained unchanged.

Top gainers and losers

Indian luxury products company Titan emerged as the top performer on the BSE Sensex today by surging 3.5%. Some of the other top performers include UltraTech Cement, Kotak Mahindra Bank, State Bank of India, and Maruti Suzuki India, rising between 1.7-2.8%.

On the flip side, state-run energy conglomerate NTPC topped the losers’ chart by falling 1.97%. The other notable losers included Tech Mahindra, Power Grid Corporation of India, and Infosys, which settled lower with marginal losses.

Shares in news

Indigo Paints: Shares of the paint company ended 8% higher after brokerage firm Motilal Oswal assigned a buy rating to the stock. During the day’s trade, the share price gained as much as 15.8% to hit an intraday high of ₹2,250.

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL): Shares of the Mukesh Ambani-led firm ended a tad higher after its subsidiary inked a pact to acquire 100% stake in sodium-ion battery tech provider Faradion. Reliance New Energy Solar (RNESL) has proposed to acquire 100% shares in Faradion for an enterprise value of 100 million pounds.

CMS Info Systems: Shares of the cash management company ended 9.9% higher against issue price on the first day of trade. The stock made a tepid start on the domestic exchange, listing at a premium of 1.15% at ₹218.50 on the BSE. But it soon gained momentum and surged 20.4% to hit an intraday high of ₹260 on the BSE.

TCIL: Shares of Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) ended 2% lower after it released its earnings report for the financial year 2020-21. The company reported a standalone net profit of ₹52.7 crore, against revenue of ₹1,749.2 crore in 2020-21. It has paid a dividend of ₹21.1 crore to the telecom department, the company said in a release.

NTPC: Shares of the state-owned firm ended 2% lower after its board approved a proposal from September 8, 2021, to discontinue operations at Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station (MTPS).

Adani Total Gas: Shares of City Gas Distribution (CGD) business climbed 2.8% after it launched a new green initiative titled ‘Greenmosphere’. The initiative will drive mass tree plantation programmes, spread awareness about climate change among the youth, and encourage sustainable energy practices through energy audits, the company said.

Hong Kong, China lead gains in Asia-Pacific

On the global front, most of Asian markets closed higher on Friday, while European stocks dropped as rising Omicron infections around the world injected fresh worries about global economic recovery. The global equities witnessed thin trade today as most of the market remained closed on account of New Year's Eve. In the Asia-Pacific region, markets in Japan and South Korea were closed, while in the European region, trading in Italy, Germany, and Spain will remain suspended for holidays.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was the biggest gainer in the Asian market, supported by a strong rally in Chinese tech firms such as Alibaba, Meituan, and Tencent. Stocks in mainland China also ended higher as investors’ cheered improvement in factory activity. China’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) climbed to 50.3 in December, compared to November’s reading of 50.1.

Meanwhile, the Straits Times Index in Singapore ended marginally lower, paring opening gains. Australian benchmark index, the ASX 200, also closed 0.9% lower in the final session of the calendar year 2021.

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