Mixed global markets, but Indian bourses stay green; defence stocks top the board

Mumbai, July 6 – Despite a roller‑coaster performance in overseas markets, India’s primary indices opened in the green on Monday. The Sensex logged a 280‑point rise (0.36%) to 78,044, while the Nifty climbed 76 points (0.32%) to finish at 24,348 as of 9:21 a.m.

Defence stocks were the standout performers, pushing the Nifty India Defence index up by more than one percent, making it the highest‑gaining sector. Other sectors that recorded positive movement included Services, Private Bank, Financial Services, Metal, India Manufacturing, Pharma, Healthcare, PSE, Real Estate, Infra and Energy.

Conversely, the Media, IT, Oil & Gas, PSU Bank, Consumer Durables and FMCG indices slipped into negative territory.

In the mid‑cap arena, the Nifty Midcap 100 added 51 points to reach 62,241, whereas the Smallcap 100 slipped 22 points to 19,152.

Key gainers on the Sensex were BEL, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HCL Technologies, Bharti Airtel, M&M, State Bank of India, Eternal, Trident, Sun Pharma and Hindustan Unilever. The losing side comprised Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Power Grid, TCS, ITC, Indigo, UltraTech Cement, Asian Paints, L&T, NTPC, Bajaj Finance and Infosys.

Global cues were mixed: Tokyo, Seoul and Jakarta indices were down, while Shanghai and Hong Kong closed higher. The U.S. markets were closed for a national holiday, resulting in no trading activity.

Foreign Institutional Investors turned net buyers on Friday, taking up ₹1,355.33 crore of equity. Domestic Institutional Investors, however, sold equity worth ₹1,953.89 crore.

Crude oil prices kept easing, with Brent crude down 0.5% at $71.74 a barrel and WTI at $68.45 a barrel, down 0.35%.