Key indices put upbest weekly showing in yrs

The equity benchmark indices posted their strongest weekly gains in years, driven by bargain hunting and optimism over a reversal in foreign portfolio investor (FPI) outflows.

- SUNDAR SETHURAMAN

The Sensex rose 558 points, or 0.7 per cent, on Friday to close at 76,906, while the Nifty 50 gained 160 points to end at 23,350. Over the past five sessions, both indices advanced around 4.3 per cent—marking the Sensex's best weekly performance since July 22, 2022, and the Nifty 50's strongest rally since February 5, 2021.

The gains were broad-based, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 rising 7.7 per cent and 8.6 per cent, respectively—their most significant weekly gains since April and June 2020.

The market capitalization of BSE-listed firms surged by ₹4.7 trillion on Friday to ₹413 trillion, bringing the weekly increase to ₹22 trillion.

This week's rebound followed sharp losses in the ongoing second half of the 2024-25 financial year, during which the Sensex and the Nifty declined 8.8 per cent and 9.5 per cent, respectively, while the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 fell 13.8 per cent and 15 per cent.