Bourses trade flat in late afternoon session

Indian equity markets traded flat in in late afternoon session amid thin holiday trade on global front. Investors took note of report that Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bulletin has stated that the Indian economy is recovering from the slowdown in momentum witnessed in the September quarter (Q2FY25), driven by strong festival activity and a sustained upswing in rural demand. Bulletin noted that the global economy continues to exhibit resilience with steady growth and moderating inflation. Meanwhile, finance ministry said the government will continue its focus on improving quality spending, strengthening the social security net and bring down the fiscal deficit to 4.5 per cent of the GDP in FY26. 

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed amid uncertainty about the Federal Reserve's interest-rate path and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's tariff threats. European markets are closed. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 78449.98, down by 22.89 points or 0.03% after trading in a range of 78173.38 and 78898.37. There were 11 stocks advancing against 18 stocks declining on the index, while 1 stock remained unchanged. 

The broader indices were trading in red; the BSE Mid cap index declined 0.26%, while Small cap index was down by 0.35%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Auto up by 0.78%, Power up by 0.39%, Utilities up by 0.33%, PSU up by 0.17% and Healthcare was up by 0.14%, while Realty down by 0.50%, Basic Materials down by 0.42%, FMCG down by 0.28%, Metal down by 0.27% and Industrials was down by 0.23% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Adani Ports up by 4.88%, Maruti Suzuki up by 1.58%, Mahindra & Mahindra up by 1.52%, Bharti Airtel up by 1.11% and Tata Motors up by 0.88%. On the flip side, Zomato down by 1.00%, Asian Paints down by 0.94%, Titan Company down by 0.87%, Nestle down by 0.73% and Tech Mahindra down by 0.71% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in its latest release of the results of Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) for 2023-24 for the reference period October, 2023 - September, 2024, has showed that there was significant growth in establishments, employment, and productivity in the unincorporated non-agricultural sector, demonstrating the sector's recovery from pandemic-related challenges and its resurgence with renewed momentum. 

The total number of establishments in the sector increased substantially from 6.50 crore in 2022-23 to 7.34 crore in 2023-24, representing a healthy 12.84% growth. Among the broad sectors covered, the number of establishments in the ‘Other Services’ sector recorded a growth of 23.55% followed by a 13% increase witnessed by the manufacturing sector. This significant increase highlights consistent sectoral expansion and reinforces the sector's critical role in driving the overall growth of the unincorporated sector.

The ASUSE 2023-24 results further highlighted that the sector employed more than 12 crore workers between October 2023 and September 2024, marking an increase of more than one crore workers from 2022-23 and reflecting robust labour market growth. Among the broad activities, ‘Other Services’ sector showed the highest annual growth of 17.86% followed by 10.03% by manufacturing sector.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23747.15, up by 19.50 points or 0.08% after trading in a range of 23653.60 and 23854.50. There were 28 stocks advancing against 22 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Adani Ports up by 5.09%, Mahindra & Mahindra up by 1.63%, Maruti Suzuki up by 1.56%, SBI Life up by 1.50% and Shriram Finance up by 1.29%. On the flip side, Asian Paints down by 0.82%, JSW Steel down by 0.79%, Nestle down by 0.70%, Titan Co down by 0.66% and Tata Consumer down by 0.62% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Nikkei 225 surged 437.63 points or 1.11% to 39,568.06, Taiwan Weighted added 26.81 points or 0.12% to 23,246.94 and Shanghai Composite was up by 4.73 points or 0.14% to 3,398.08. On the flip side, Straits Times fell 5.19 points or 0.14% to 3,764.36 and KOSPI was down by 10.85 points or 0.45% to 2,429.67.

European markets remain closed today amid festive season.