The Indian stock market ended Thursday’s session, June 18, on a positive note as gains in financial and auto stocks, along with strength in crude-sensitive sectors, offset weakness in technology shares.
Both benchmark indices—the Nifty 50 and the Sensex—closed with gains of more than 0.40%, extending their winning streak to a second consecutive session. The broader markets also ended higher, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices advancing 0.40% and 0.47%, respectively.
Most major sectoral indices finished in the green, while Nifty IT emerged as the sole laggard, falling more than 1% after US Federal Reserve policymakers signalled the possibility of a rate hike later this year despite keeping interest rates unchanged.
The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday maintained the federal funds rate in the 3.50%-3.75% range, leaving it unchanged for the fourth consecutive meeting as policymakers sought to balance economic growth with inflation control.
Although rates were left unchanged, several policymakers indicated that a rate hike may be required later this year to bring inflation back toward the central bank’s 2% target. They believe that merely keeping borrowing costs steady may not be sufficient to contain inflationary pressures.
Of the 18 Federal Reserve officials who submitted interest-rate projections, nine now expect rates to rise this year, reflecting concerns that inflation could remain elevated amid higher oil prices following the Iran conflict.
On the geopolitical front, sentiment remained supported after US President Donald Trump reportedly signed a preliminary agreement aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, sending Brent crude briefly to its lowest level since the war began.
Bata India leads gainers; textile, Adani and new-age tech stocks shine
Today’s gainers were led by Bata India, with the stock surging 16.4% to ₹790 apiece, marking its biggest single-day gain in nearly 20 years. The rally followed the company’s announcement appointing Sanjay Rao as its new managing director and CEO for a five-year term from October 1, 2026, to August 23, 2031.
Textile stocks also witnessed strong buying interest. Shares of KPR Mill, Welspun Living, Indo Count Industries, Gokaldas Exports, Vardhman Textiles, Ruby Mills, and Trident rallied between 4% and 14%. The surge came after US President Donald Trump said that a trade deal between the United States and India was “very close.”
Meanwhile, select Adani Group stocks attracted heavy buying. Adani Power and Adani Total Gas gained 4.6% and 3.1%, respectively. Other group companies, including Adani Green Energy, Adani Energy Solutions, and Adani Enterprises, advanced between 2% and 3%.
India’s beauty and fashion retailer Nykaa closed 6% higher after the company said it aims to exceed $5 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) by FY30, betting on rising discretionary spending. Another new-age technology stock, Meesho, ended the session 4% higher.
Shares of Redington gained more than 5% during the session after reports suggested that Apple could raise prices on some of its products to offset sharply rising memory and storage chip costs.
IFCI tumbles 9%; Infosys, Tata Technologies among key laggards
On the losing side, IFCI emerged as the biggest laggard, falling 8.6% to ₹82 apiece. IDBI Bank, Elecon Engineering, Chennai Petroleum, and Jindal Stainless also came under selling pressure, declining more than 3% each.
Other stocks including Emmvee Photovoltaic, Cohance Lifesciences, Infosys, Nuvoco Vistas Corp, Sumitomo Chemical, Tata Technologies, BEML, Piramal Pharma, Inox Wind, Apar Industries, and Syngene International also ended lower, falling more than 2% each.
Disclaimer: We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
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