| The domestic equity benchmarks continued to trade with modest gains in mid-afternoon trade, supported by gains in banking and FMCG stocks despite the latest escalation in the US-Iran conflict. Nifty traded above the 23,300 level. Financial services shares extended gains for a second consecutive trading session. At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped 400.77 points or 0.54% to 74,325.18. The Nifty 50 index rose 79.40 points or 0.34% to 23,321.50. The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.59% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index shed 0.61%. The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,657 shares rose and 2,444 shares fell. A total of 181 shares were unchanged. Buzzing Index: The Nifty Financial Services index advanced 0.63% to 25,311.05. The index added 2.09% in the two consecutive trading sessions. Axis Bank (up 2.01%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (up 2%), HDFC Bank (up 1.72%), ICICI Bank (up 1.58%), Max Financial Services (up 0.79%), State Bank of India (up 0.3%), and SBI Cards & Payment Services (up 0.28%) rose. Numbers to Track: The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper rose 0.28% to 6.890 compared with the previous session close of 6.913. In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged higher against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 95.3025 compared with its close of 95.4100 during the previous trading session. MCX Gold futures for 5 August 2026 settlement declined 1.86% to Rs 1,49,646. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.05% to 99.91. The United States 10-year bond yield rose 0.20% to 4.538. In the commodities market, Brent crude for August 2026 settlement added 33 cents or 0.36% to $91.78 a barrel. Stocks in Spotlight: KRN Heat Exchanger and Refrigeration rallied 3.53% after the company's board approved an investment of Rs 235.26 crore in its wholly owned subsidiary, KRN HVAC Products (KHPL). Veranda Learning fell 2.05%. The company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan-based CPA Excellent Partners (CPAEP) to collaborate on talent development, recruitment and career support for accounting and finance professionals across global markets. Powered by Capital Market - Live News |