The frontline indices traded with decent gains in the early afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 23,800 level. Private bank shares extended gains for the fourth consecutive trading session.
At 12:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, gained 262.17 points or 0.33% to 78,734.65. The Nifty 50 index added 84.20 points or 0.35% to 23,834.40.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.04% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.11%.
The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1,914 shares rose and 1,911 shares fell. A total of 147 shares were unchanged.
Indian Rupee hit a fresh record low against the US dollar on Friday. The currency opened at 85.3100 and touched a fresh all-time low of 85.6725 and is currently trading at 85.2725.
Derivatives:
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, dropped 4% to 13.47. The Nifty 30 January 2024 futures were trading at 24,011.00, at a premium of 176.60 points as compared with the spot at 23,834.40.
The Nifty option chain for the 30 January 2024 expiry showed a maximum call OI of 39.4 lakh contracts at the 25,000 strike price. Maximum put OI of 50.7 lakh contracts was seen at 24,000 strike price.
Buzzing Index:
The Nifty Private Bank index gained 0.52% to 24,926.80. The index rose 1.19% in four consecutive trading sessions.
IndusInd Bank (up 3.18%), IDFC First Bank (up 1.28%), ICICI Bank (up 0.59%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (up 0.52%), City Union Bank (up 0.47%), Axis Bank (up 0.35%), Bandhan Bank (up 0.23%), HDFC Bank (up 0.18%) and Federal Bank (up 0.04%) advanced.
Stocks in Spotlight:
NBCC (India) rose 0.63%. The company announced that it has received multiple work orders totaling Rs 368.75 crore from various entities.
Thomas Cook (India) advanced 2.96% after the company announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Sterling Holiday Resorts has announced the opening of Sterling Bagh Ranthambore, its 10th wildlife resort and 7th property in Rajasthan.