Sensex Surges Over 200 Points, Nifty Above 10,800; HPCL Jumps Nearly 5%

Indian domestic market indices opened lower today before they posted gains during the day. At 2.30 pm, Sensex traded 204 points, or 0.58 percent higher to trade at 35,779 level, while NSE's Nifty50 traded at 10,804 level, 54 points, or 0.5 percent higher against the Thursday's closing. The top Sensex gainers in the afternoon trade included Hero MotoCorp (4.36 percent), Tata Motors (3.9 percent) and Bajaj Auto (2.13 percent). Among the Nifty stocks, the top gainers are HPCL, Hero MotoCorp and Tata Motors that jumped to the tune of 5 percent, 4.17 percent and 3.79 percent, respectively. Among sectoral indices, Nifty Realty, Nifty Auto and Nifty Metal indices posted the maximum gains to the tune of 1.72 percent, 1.48 percent and 1.27 percent, respectively. Today marked the listing of Varroc Engineering whose shares opened 6.7 percent higher on the market debut on BSE.

Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 159.37 crore on a net basis, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) offloaded equities to the tune of Rs 296.97 crore on Thursday, provisional data showed, reported Press Trust of India. US stocks settled higher on Thursday, in a broad rally that was led by the technology sector. The minutes from the US Federal Reserve June policy meeting were in line with market expectations for further interest rate increases this year

The Indian rupee on Friday fell by 8 paise to again breach the 69-mark to trade at 69.03 against the US dollar in opening trade. The fresh fall in Indian rupee is because of US dollar's appreciation and sustained foreign capital outflows. According to the forex dealers, the rupee's third straight slide happened due to demand for the US currency and a lower opening in the domestic equity market in morning trade today.

Faltering Chinese markets dented Asian stocks in a choppy Friday morning, just hours before Washington is set to impose tariffs on Chinese imports that many investors fear might trigger a full-scale trade war in a blow to the global economy. Around 7.45 am, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.3 percent lower, pulling back from a modest early rise. The index has lost 8.8 percent since June 7.

Seoul's Kospi index fell 0.2 percent and shares in Taiwan were 0.4 percent lower. Australian shares were up 0.4 percent. China's major indexes were choppy in early trade, with the blue-chip CSI300 index in and out of negative territory. It was last 0.2 percent lower, while the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.3 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock index was 0.7 percent higher after closing at a three-month low on Thursday (with Reuters inputs)