At the close, the BSE Sensex settled at 83,952.19, up 484.53 points (0.58%), while the NSE Nifty50 ended at 25,709.85, gaining 124.55 points (0.49%).
Indian equities ended the week on a high note this Friday, extending their winning streak to three consecutive sessions and touching a fresh 52-week high ahead of the Diwali celebrations. Investor sentiment remained upbeat, fuelled by steady domestic flows and encouraging corporate earnings from key sectors.
In the broader markets, sentiment was relatively muted — the Nifty MidCap 100 slipped 0.57%, while the SmallCap 100 edged down 0.05%, signalling some profit booking after a sharp rally earlier this month.
You may also like: 5 Expert Stock Picks for Muhurat Trading 2025- Invest Smart This Diwali
Impact on the stock market
Sector-wise performance
Sectorally, it was a mixed bag. The Nifty FMCG index emerged as the top gainer, up 1.37%, powered by heavyweights like HUL and Asian Paints.
Auto stocks such as M&M also added to the festive cheer, riding on positive rural demand trends.
On the flip side, IT and media indices saw a dip — Nifty IT lost 1.63%, and Nifty Media fell 1.56%, dragged by weak earnings and global tech concerns.
| Sector/Index | Performance |
| IT & BPM sector | -1.63% |
| Healthcare sector | 0.76% |
| Oil & Gas sector | 0.04% |
| Real estate sector | 0.10% |
| PSU Bank in India | -0.65% |
Top gainers today
| Company | Share Price (in ₹) | Change % |
| Asian Paints | 2,507.80 | 4.07 |
| M&M | 3,656.00 | 2.67 |
| Max Healthcare | 1,202.70 | 2.33 |
| Bharti Airtel | 2,012.00 | 2.27 |
| Sun Pharma | 1,686.80 | 1.68 |
Top losers today
| Company | Share Price (in ₹) | Change % |
| Wipro | 240.99 | -5.05 |
| Infosys | 1,440.90 | -2.08 |
| HCL Tech | 1,486.20 | -1.90 |
| Eternal | 343.10 | -1.37 |
| Tech Mahindra | 1,447.60 | -1.11 |
Market aftermath: Impact on stocks
Central Bank of India: Profit up 33%, NPA improves
The state-owned Central Bank of India reported a 33% jump in net profit to ₹1,213 crore for Q2 FY26, compared to ₹913 crore a year earlier.
The improvement was not just in profits — the bank’s Gross NPA fell sharply to 3.01% from 4.59% last year, a strong indicator of improving asset quality.
Total business expanded 14.43% year-on-year to ₹7.38 lakh crore, with deposits growing 13.4% to ₹4.44 lakh crore.
This performance highlights the ongoing strength in India’s public sector banking space, supported by better credit discipline and higher loan demand. With a steady decline in bad loans and rising profitability, PSU banks continue to gain investor confidence ahead of Diwali.
Also read: How to Invest Your Diwali Bonus: A Fund Manager’s Secret Strategy for 2025
Tata Technologies: Steady quarter, cautious outlook
Tata Technologies posted a 5% year-on-year rise in net profit to ₹165.5 crore for Q2 FY26, supported by a 2% growth in revenue to ₹1,323.33 crore.
However, profits were down 3% sequentially, and management flagged “short-term tactical challenges” expected in the upcoming quarter.
CEO Warren Harris remained optimistic, highlighting strong progress in Europe and continued investment in talent and innovation. The company’s attrition rate stood at 15.1%, with a total workforce of 12,402 employees.
CFO Savitha Balachandran maintained a cautious tone, noting “near-term demand softness” but reaffirming confidence in Q4 recovery. For investors, this signals a temporary pause in growth momentum — but long-term fundamentals remain intact.
You may also read: Muhurat Trading Last 10 Years: What History Reveals About Your Returns
JSW Steel: Profit quadruples on price improvement
In one of the day’s biggest headlines, JSW Steel reported a four-fold jump in net profit to ₹1,623 crore for Q2 FY26, compared to ₹439 crore last year.
Revenues climbed 14% to ₹45,152 crore, driven by higher steel prices and a 20% surge in sales volume to 7.34 million tonnes.
That said, profits were down 26% sequentially from ₹2,184 crore in Q1, reflecting cost pressures and a slower global steel demand cycle.
The company’s EBITDA margin improved to 17.4% (up 300 basis points YoY), while EBITDA per tonne rose to ₹10,701. JSW Steel also reaffirmed a ₹20,000 crore capex plan for FY26, part of a broader ₹1 lakh crore expansion blueprint through 2030.
On the strategic front, JSW Steel is merging subsidiaries like Amba River Coke and Monnet Cement to streamline operations, and reorganising its US business under a single holding to optimise performance.
CEO Sajjan Jindal’s global ambitions remain clear — from the Vijaynagar hot strip mill to a new 1 MTPA electric arc furnace in Andhra Pradesh, JSW is positioning itself as a diversified steel giant ready for the next growth cycle.
Crude oil and global cues: Flat but tense
In global commodities, crude oil futures traded largely flat on Friday, with Brent at $61.03 and WTI at $57.45 per barrel.
The highlight came from geopolitics — US President Donald Trump announced plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Markets cautiously welcomed the move, hoping for a breakthrough that could ease restrictions on Russian oil exports and rebalance global supply.
On the MCX, October crude oil futures were marginally down 0.20% at ₹5,056, while November futures slipped 0.40% to ₹5,028.
Meanwhile, natural gas fell 1.39% to ₹256.30, while turmeric prices on the NCDEX rose 1.34% to ₹14,860, reflecting strong demand from domestic traders ahead of the festival season.
EIA data from the US also showed a 3.5 million-barrel build-up in crude inventories, suggesting soft demand, even as gasoline and distillate inventories declined slightly.
While oil remains steady for now, traders are closely watching upcoming diplomatic moves and US inventory data for cues on short-term price direction.
Conclusion
As India gears up for Diwali, the stock market seems to be shining brighter than diyas — with Sensex and Nifty closing at record highs, driven by banking resilience, industrial growth, and solid corporate earnings.
While select sectors like IT and media showed fatigue, the broader market sentiment remains positive, backed by healthy domestic demand and improving financial stability.
Looking ahead, the next few sessions could see light profit booking, but if earnings continue to deliver, the festive rally might just have more sparkle left.
In short — India’s markets are glowing, and investors have plenty of reason to celebrate this Diwali season.
For more stock market insights, check out the StockGro blog.
