FX.co ★ Sensex Finishes Marginally Up

India’s BSE Sensex pared early gains to finish slightly higher at 73,983 on Wednesday, extending the previous session’s advance amid renewed caution stemming from escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Sentiment was further weighed by continued foreign institutional investor outflows and persistent concerns over stretched valuations in the technology space.

Robust buying interest in heavyweight banking and FMCG counters helped offset broader market weakness. Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank rose between 1.2% and 1.7%, supported by the RBI’s concessional forex swap facility. Among consumer stocks, Hindustan Unilever climbed 1.7% and ITC added 1.3%.

On the downside, the biggest laggards included Eternal (-2.5%), Tata Steel (-2%), Titan (-1.5%), and Mahindra & Mahindra (-1.3%). Technology shares also remained under pressure, with HCL Tech (-1.2%), Infosys (-0.9%), and Tech Mahindra (-0.4%) retreating.