Sensex extends recent gains as mid and small cap stocks join in
Economy

Sensex extends recent gains as mid and small cap stocks join in

The benchmark index has risen 11 % this year, mid cap gauge is at a three-month high while small cap index climbed for a 12th straight session.

   
A man walks past the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) logo in Mumbai | Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

A man walks past the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) logo in Mumbai | Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

The benchmark index has risen 11 % this year, mid cap gauge is at a three-month high while small cap index climbed for a 12th straight session.

Indian stocks extended recent gains amid an earnings season that has buoyed investor optimism about the outlook for companies’ profit growth and sent the benchmark index to record closes in seven of the last 10 trading sessions.

The S&P BSE Sensex climbed 0.6 per cent to 37,789.81 as of 9:42 a.m. in Mumbai. All 19 sectoral sub-indexes compiled by BSE Ltd advanced, led by gauges of consumer durable and banking stocks. State Bank of India and Axis Bank Ltd were among top performers on the main gauge.

“Earnings have been better than estimates so far,” Rajendra Wadher, a director at PRB Securities Ltd, said by phone. “This time the mid and small cap stocks have joined the party, which has raised the overall sentiment.”

The Sensex has advanced 11 per cent this year, holding its place as Asia Pacific’s best performing market. So far, of the 35 NSE Nifty 50 companies that have announced results, 21 have either met or exceeded average analyst estimates. Nestle India Ltd surged 2.2 per cent after posting net income that beat the consensus analyst estimate by about 6.5 per cent, while Titan Co. was among top gainers in the Nifty 50 Index after the jewelry maker’s profit exceeded expectations by about 11 per cent.

The S&P BSE mid cap gauge is on course for its longest winning streak this year and rose to close to a three-month high. The index of small cap companies climbed for a 12th straight session. –Bloomberg