Key stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed almost unchanged on the final trading day of 2020 on Thursday as investors tracked news related to COVID-19
launch of vaccines around the world for more bets. In a choppy trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex rose 5.11 points or 0.01 percent to its new closing record of 47.751.33.
After opening higher at 47,753.11, the index reached its all-time high of 47,896.97 for the day and touched a low of 47,602.12. The broader NSE Nifty crossed the record level of 14,000 for the first time, touching an intraday high of 14,024.85. The 50-issue index trimmed earnings to close at 13,981.75, down just 0.20 points.
However, the indices closed the year 2020 with overall gains of around 15 percent. Sensex gained 15.7 percent, while Nifty was up 14.9 percent on the year. HDFC was the top winner among Sensex shares on Thursday, rising 1.65 percent, followed by Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, Asian Paints, Titan and Infosys.
TCS was the biggest loser, losing 1.33 percent. Ultratech Cement, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Bank and Tech Mahindra were among the other top laggards. The Tokyo and South Korean stock exchanges were closed for the New Year holidays. Among others, Australia’s S & P / ASX fell 1.4 percent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.3 percent.
The Shanghai Composite gained 1.2%. Analysts said the focus has been on vaccine-related developments around the world, and China’s Sinopharm has become the latest to publish encouraging study results.
On Wall Street, stocks made modest gains overnight. Oil prices advanced little by little in world trade. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 25 cents at $ 51.34 a barrel.
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