Stock Market Highlights: Nifty, Sensex End Higher As L&T Q1 Bump Offsets Tata Motors, RIL Decline

India's benchmark equity indices ended higher for a second consecutive session on Wednesday as better-than-expected earnings pulled up heavyweight Larsen & Toubro Ltd. to help offset decline in Tata Motors Ltd. and Reliance Industries Ltd.

The NSE Nifty 50 settled 140 points or 0.14% higher at 24,855, managing to hold above the support level of 24,750.

The BSE Sensex added 144 points or 0.18% to close at 81,481.86.

Of the 50 stocks on the blue-chip Nifty, 22 advanced. The market capitalisation jumped by nearly Rs 13,000 lakh crore.

Shares of Larsen & Toubro, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and NTPC Ltd. were among the top gainers in the Nifty 50. On the other hand, Tata Motors and Hero MotoCorp Ltd. were among the top laggards.

In terms of point contribution, L&T, Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Sun Pharma added most to the Nifty.

On the NSE, eight sectors ended in the green, with Nifty IT and Nifty Defence rising the most. Nifty Realty and Nifty PSU Banks were under selling pressure.

The broader market posted marginally better gains than the benchmark. The BSE MidCap and SmallCap rose 0.17% each.

The market breadth was skewed in favour of the sellers as 1,974 stocks declined, 1,918 advanced and 160 remained unchanged on the BSE.

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