Equity benchmark indices ended higher for the second consecutive session on Tuesday, supported by gains in banking, IT and capital goods stocks.The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 173.81 points, or 0.21 per cent, to close at 83,450.96. During the session, it touched a high of 83,598 and a low of 82,987.43.The 50-share NSE Nifty advanced 42.65 points, or 0.17 per cent, to settle at 25,725.40.

Nifty50 top gainers

Nifty50 top losers

Sensex top gainers

Sensex top losers

IT, PSU banks among top sectoral gainers

Among Sensex constituents, gainers included ITC, Bharat Electronics Limited, Larsen & Toubro, Infosys, Asian Paints, Titan Company, Adani Ports & SEZ, HCL Technologies, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Maruti Suzuki India, InterGlobe Aviation, State Bank of India and Tech Mahindra.On the losing side were Eternal, Tata Steel, Trent, Reliance Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Hindustan Unilever.Broader markets also remained firm, with the BSE Smallcap Select Index rising 0.49 per cent and the Midcap Select Index gaining 0.26 per cent.Among sectoral indices, PSU Bank surged 2.36 per cent, followed by IT (1.15 per cent), Industrials (1.13 per cent), Services (0.98 per cent), Focussed IT (0.94 per cent), FMCG (0.87 per cent), Consumer Durables (0.85 per cent) and Capital Goods (0.76 per cent). Metal, Commodities, Energy and Realty were the only laggards.A total of 2,447 stocks advanced, while 1,756 declined and 149 remained unchanged.The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms rose by Rs 1,52,688.24 crore to Rs 4,70,11,313.57 crore (USD 5.18 trillion).

IT stocks extend recovery

Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Investments Limited, was quoted by news agency PTI as saying, “Domestic markets traded in a range-bound manner. The IT sector, following a sharp correction, witnessed selective bottom-fishing, aided by announcements of strategic collaborations with global AI partners.”Siddhartha Khemka, head of research, wealth management at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, said, “IT stocks extended gains for the second consecutive session after the recent sharp correction. The sentiment in the sector improved after Infosys announced a strategic partnership with Anthropic, easing concerns around AI-led disruption.”“Defence stocks gained 1.3 per cent ahead of the meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as expectations rose around potential discussions on the acquisition of additional Rafale fighter jets,” he added.On the downside, metal stocks came under pressure tracking weakness in precious metal prices, dragging the Nifty Metal index down 1 per cent. Khemka said markets are expected to remain firm with a positive bias, tracking global cues and domestic sectoral developments.According to Bajaj Broking, benchmarks extended gains for the second straight session despite subdued global cues, as investors adopted a watchful stance ahead of signals from the US Federal Reserve, key macroeconomic data releases and developments surrounding US-Iran discussions.

Global cues mixed

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed 0.47 per cent lower, while markets in China, Hong Kong and South Korea were shut for Lunar New Year holidays.European markets were trading higher in mid-session deals. The US markets were closed on Monday for Presidents’ Day.Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 972.13 crore on Monday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,666.98 crore, according to exchange data.Brent crude fell 0.79 per cent to $68.13 per barrel.On Monday, the Sensex had jumped 650.39 points to 83,277.15, while the Nifty advanced 211.65 points to 25,682.75, setting the stage for Tuesday’s follow-up gains.