Financials lift Indian shares amid improved global cues

Monday,   29-May-2023   11:02 AM (IST)

Indian shares advanced on Monday, led by an uptick in financials while improved global cues due to a weekend debt ceiling deal in the U.S. added heft. The blue-chip Nifty 50 index was up 0.63% at 18,616 as of 9:54 a.m. IST, while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex rose 0.70% to 62,939.10.70. Ten of the 13 sectoral indexes logged gains with high weightage financials rising over 1%. ICICI Lombard General Insurance Ltd surged 10% after ICICI Bank's board approved raising its stake in the company by 4%. Auto index rose 0.8% powered by 4% gains in Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. The stock is the top gainer on the Nifty after reporting a rise in March quarter profit. On the other hand, shares of Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd fell nearly 4% after reporting a loss in the fourth quarter. Sentiment improved after U.S. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy forged an agreement over the weekend to avert a default to suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until 2025, ahead of the June 1 deadline. The deal will have to pass through the U.S. congress. Asian markets edged higher. The benchmark Nifty 50 is closing in on the record high of 18,887.60 levels. Sustained foreign inflows into Indian equities have supported the rise. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought 3.50 billion rupees ($71.2 million) of Indian shares on Friday. FIIs have been net buyers in Indian stocks in 21 of the last 22 sessions.