18.06.202604:42:27UTC+00Sensex Hits Fifth Day of Gains

India’s BSE Sensex edged up about 0.2% to 77,276 on Thursday, extending its winning streak to a fifth consecutive session. The advance was underpinned by lower crude oil prices, though gains were limited by weakness in information technology shares and a cautious mood after the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged while signaling a guarded policy outlook.

Risk appetite was further constrained after the Fed indicated the possibility of an additional rate hike later this year, bolstering the US dollar and curbing demand for higher-yielding emerging-market assets.

On the corporate front, HFCL drew investor interest after winning a significant contract from Rail Vikas Nigam. Shares of BSE also stayed in focus following the National Stock Exchange’s filing of a draft prospectus for an initial public offering.

Among notable gainers were NIACL (12.8%), Bharat Coal (7.6%), Netweb (4.7%), Wockhardt (3.7%), IFCI (3.7%), and HFCL (3%). On the downside, key laggards included IDBI (-3.6%), One 97 (-2.2%), Infosys (-2%), and TCS (-0.8%).