Stock Market Today Live: Sensex zooms 1,000 pts, Nifty ends above 25,500; Tata Steel, Adani Ports, Airtel, Bajaj Finance lead

Indian equity benchmarks ended on a strong note on Thursday amid spurt in buying activities in the last hour of trade. The market extended buying momentum for the third straight day amid expiries of Nifty weekly and monthly derivatives contracts. The BSE Sensex ended 1,000 points higher at 83,756, and the Nifty settled 1.2% higher at 25,549. The top gainers on the BSE Sensex pack Adani Ports, Bajaj Finance, Eternal (Zomato), Bharti Airtel, RIL and HDFC Bank.  

Indian equity benchmarks ended on a strong note on Thursday amid spurt in buying activities in the last hour of trade. The market extended buying momentum for the third straight day, amid expiries of Nifty weekly and monthly derivatives contracts.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) is set to launch cash-settled monthly electricity futures contracts in India within a few weeks, following approval from Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). This move aims to provide a crucial hedging tool for participants in the power market by allowing buyers, sellers, traders, industrial and retailers to manage price risks.

Driven by strong rally in bank stocks, the Nifty Bank index hit a fresh all-time high of 57,204.40, led by private lenders such as HDFC Bank and Axis Bank. The share price of Axis Bank jumped 1.5%, while HDFC Bank shares hit a fresh all-time high on sustained rally for the third straight session as its subsidiary HDB Financial Services garner decent responses from investors for its ₹12,500 IPO.

Deepak Builders Ltd. shares jumped over 4.5% on Thursday, June 26, after the company announced it had received a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) for the construction of a shopping mall in Haryana. The project, valued at ₹142 crore, sparked strong buying interest in the stock during the session.

Robust buying in heavyweight private lenders—HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, and ICICI Bank—propelled the Nifty Bank index to a fresh lifetime high of 57,076, eclipsing the earlier peak of 57,049 set on 9 June. Persistent demand for banking shares on Dalal Street now positions the index to end June in positive territory, which would mark its fourth consecutive monthly advance—its longest winning streak since March 2016.

Shares of consumer durables makers Whirlpool and Voltas rose on Thursday following reports that rival Panasonic may exit unprofitable segments such as refrigerators and washing machines in the Indian market. The move is seen as a potential boost to domestic players, who could gain market share as competition eases in these categories.

Indian equity markets surged on Thursday, with the Sensex rallying over 600 points and the Nifty crossing the 25,400 mark in intraday trade. Strong buying in metal and financial stocks led the gains, reflecting improved investor sentiment. 

U.S. stocks ended mixed on Wednesday, pausing a two-day rally as investors monitored the fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire and parsed comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell during his second day of congressional testimony. The Dow fell 0.25%, the S&P 500 closed flat, and the Nasdaq rose 0.31%.

Oil prices today ticked higher in early Asian trading, building on the previous session’s gains after government data showed a bigger-than-forecast drawdown in U.S. crude inventories—evidence of robust demand. Brent crude futures advanced 0.2 % to $67.80 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed 0.3 % to $65.12. Traders remain cautious, however, as the fragile Iran-Israel ceasefire and ongoing Middle East tensions continue to cast a shadow over global energy markets.

As of 7:20 a.m., GIFT Nifty futures inched up 30 points, or 0.12%, to 25,291, signalling a subdued opening for the Sensex and Nifty 50.