Indian Stock Market Wrap: IT Stocks Rally, Pharma Shares Decline Amid Mixed Global Cues

Indian Stock Market Update: IT Stocks Rally, Pharma Shares Under Pressure

The Indian stock market witnessed a mixed but positive session yesterday, as benchmark indices opened higher than Wednesday’s closing levels. Early gains were supported by strong global cues and heavy buying in Information Technology (IT) stocks and PSU bank shares. However, losses in pharma, healthcare, and select consumer stocks capped the overall upside.

Investors closely tracked global market movements, quarterly earnings, and key corporate developments throughout the trading session. While IT stocks emerged as the biggest gainers, defensive sectors like pharmaceuticals faced selling pressure.

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Market Opening: Positive Start to the Session

Indian equity markets began the day on a firm note, reflecting optimism carried over from the US markets. The opening trend suggested improved investor sentiment, especially in export-oriented sectors such as IT, which benefited from a slightly weaker rupee and positive earnings expectations.

As the session progressed, markets remained range-bound, with buying seen in selective stocks while profit booking was observed in others.

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Sector Performance: IT and PSU Banks Lead

The IT sector was the star performer of the day. Heavyweight IT stocks such as Infosys, Tech Mahindra, TCS, HCL Technologies, and Wipro recorded strong gains. Positive quarterly results, deal wins, and improved outlook helped boost investor confidence in the sector.

PSU bank stocks also traded higher, supported by expectations of stable asset quality and steady credit growth.

On the downside, pharma and healthcare stocks declined the most. Selling pressure in stocks like Cipla weighed on the sector. Concerns over pricing pressure and profit booking after recent gains impacted pharma shares.

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Global Market Cues: Mixed Signals

Global markets provided mixed signals to domestic investors.

• US markets ended higher overnight, with the Dow Jones and Nasdaq closing in the green. This supported positive sentiment in early Indian trade.
• Asian markets showed a mixed trend, as investors reacted to regional economic data and global interest rate concerns.
• European markets were mostly trading lower as of 6 pm IST, limiting the overall strength of global cues.

Despite weak European markets, Indian equities managed to hold early gains due to strong domestic stock-specific developments.

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Top Gainers on NIFTY 50

IT stocks dominated the list of top gainers on the NIFTY 50 index:

• Infosys jumped 5.63% to close at Rs 1,689.80 after completing the merger of its Romanian subsidiaries, strengthening its European operations.
• Tech Mahindra surged 5.16% to Rs 1,670.50 following a 14% year-on-year rise in quarterly net profit.
• Wipro gained 2.79% to Rs 267.45 despite a drop in profits, as investors welcomed the Rs 6 per share dividend announcement.
• HCL Technologies rose 2.51% to Rs 1,698.00.
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) advanced 2.27% to Rs 3,206.70.

Strong buying in these stocks helped support the broader market.

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Top Losers on NIFTY 50

Several stocks ended the day lower due to sector-specific weakness and profit booking:

• Eternal (Zomato) fell 3.86% to Rs 287.70.
• Jio Financial Services declined 2.86% to Rs 278.80.
• Cipla slipped 2.58% to Rs 1,397.50 amid weakness in pharma stocks.
• Hindalco dropped 2.17% to Rs 934.65 due to pressure in metal stocks.
• Asian Paints fell 2.03% to Rs 2,756.90.

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Key Market News and Developments

India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $0.39 billion to $687.2 billion for the week ended January 9. Higher forex reserves improve economic stability and support the Indian rupee during volatile global conditions.

In a major regulatory update, SEBI gave in-principle approval to NSE’s settlement application related to the unfair market access case, bringing relief to the exchange.

The Amagi Media Labs IPO received strong investor response, getting subscribed 30.22 times. Retail investors showed solid participation, with subscription at 9.31 times. The IPO has now closed for subscription.

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Major Stock-Specific Updates

• Wipro reported a 7% year-on-year decline in net profit to Rs 3,119 crore for the October–December quarter and announced a dividend of Rs 6 per share.
• Polycab posted strong results, with net profit rising 36% to Rs 630 crore.
• LTIMindtree secured a Rs 3,000 crore, seven-year contract from CBDT to build an AI-powered tax analytics platform.
• BHEL began supplying traction transformers for the Vande Bharat Sleeper Train project.
• Indus Towers expanded operations by setting up step-down subsidiaries in Nigeria and Zambia.
• JSW Energy placed a major equipment order for its Salboni thermal power project.
• L&T won a large order worth Rs 2,500–5,000 crore from Petronet LNG.
• NTPC Green announced commercial operations of additional solar capacity in Gujarat.

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Commodities, Currency, and Global Indices

• Gold prices slipped 0.30% to Rs 1,41,593 per 10 grams.
• Silver rose 1.58% to Rs 2,81,890 per kg.
• USD-INR strengthened to Rs 90.65 per dollar.

Globally:

• Dow Jones gained 0.60%.
• Nasdaq rose 0.25%.

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Market Outlook

Yesterday’s stock market session highlighted strong interest in IT stocks driven by earnings and corporate actions, while pharma and select consumer stocks remained under pressure. With mixed global cues and steady domestic fundamentals, investors are likely to stay selective in the near term, focusing on earnings, macroeconomic data, and sector-specific trends.

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