The Nifty 50 rose 115 points on monthly expiry as crude fell 3% and a new SEBI closing auction added 75 points. Nvidia earnings and Fed minutes are next catalysts.
Alpha Score of 70 reflects strong overall profile with moderate momentum, weak value, strong quality, moderate sentiment.
Benchmark indices closed higher on Tuesday, the monthly derivatives expiry, as a late-session rally pushed the Nifty 50 up 115 points. The session opened lower after Washington announced fresh sanctions on Iran. Markets reversed in the final hour as crude prices fell and a newly introduced closing auction mechanism added an unexpected boost to settlement levels.
The Nifty 50 ended at 24,334, up 0.48 per cent. The BSE Sensex gained 286 points to 77,656. Tuesday was the first monthly expiry under SEBI's Closing Auction Session, introduced on August 3. Under the new regime, F&O stocks stop continuous trading at 3:15 pm, and a 15-minute auction window determines the final closing price. The auction alone lifted the Nifty 75 points and the Sensex 126 points from their 3:15 pm levels, a structural shift that caught many participants off guard.
"Nifty staged over 200 points intraday reversal to close at highest level since 14 August," said Nandish Shah, Deputy Vice President at HDFC Securities. The Closing Auction Session "surged nearly 75 points, which provided the fillip for overall gains," he added.
The morning selloff followed Washington's sweeping new sanctions targeting Iran and its trading partners, aimed at isolating Tehran and pushing for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Markets quickly recalibrated. The sanctions proved less severe than feared. Brent crude fell over 3 per cent to around $89 a barrel, its lowest in a week. WTI dropped to near $82. That eased India's import-cost concerns. The rupee gained 32-34 paise to close at 95.41 against the dollar, leading Asian currency gains for the session. The Dollar Index slipped below 99.
Healthcare and Consumer Durables led sector gains. Pharmaceuticals also posted strong gains. IT, Infrastructure, Media and PSU Banks closed higher. Energy and Metals lagged. Private Banks also underperformed. Adani Enterprises and Max Healthcare were among the top Nifty gainers, with Apollo Hospitals also rising. HDFC Life and Cipla fell; ONGC also declined. NSE cash-market turnover fell 4 per cent versus the previous session, indicating subdued broader participation. The advance-decline ratio stood at 0.94. The Nifty Smallcap 100 slipped 0.10 per cent. The Nifty Midcap 100 gained 0.54 per cent to a fresh all-time high. India VIX declined nearly 4.25 per cent. Gold on COMEX eased 0.30 per cent to $4,637 an ounce. Domestic gold prices dipped around ₹300 to ₹1,62,950, as crude's retreat and rupee strength capped safe-haven demand.
The near-term outlook hinges on a packed global calendar. Nvidia's quarterly earnings on Wednesday are a bellwether for the global AI investment cycle, with knock-on effects for Indian IT stocks. Nvidia shares fell 2.91 per cent to $208.48 on Tuesday; its Alpha Score sits at 70 out of 100. US consumer confidence data, Federal Reserve meeting minutes, and further developments on US-Iran tensions and crude oil prices will also shape sentiment.
Technically, the Nifty's 24,300–24,400 band is the near-term pivot, analysts said. A clean break above 24,500 would signal extension toward 24,600. The 24,100 level serves as immediate support on any pullback. The index closed at its highest since August 14.
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