Sensex, Nifty Rise For Second Straight Week. Here Are The Biggest Gainers And Losers

Domestic stock markets rose for the second straight week, with benchmark indices registering mild gains. The S&P BSE Sensex index manged to register a weekly gain of 158.58 points - or 0.39 per cent - while the broader NSE Nifty benchmark moved 17.55 points higher, marking a rise of 0.15 per cent, rising for three out of five trading sessions as the markets lost steam. In the previous week, the Sensex had added 1,106.97 points (2.83 per cent) and the Nifty climbed up 306.7 points (2.65 per cent).

Here are key things to know about the markets this week:

Realty stocks spiked after the government announced a Rs. 25,000-crore boost for the sector. The government approved the setup of a Rs 10,000-crore Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) for stalled realty projects, in which it said Rs 15,000 crore would be provided jointly by SBI and LIC.

Out of the 11 sectoral indices on the National Stock Exchange, the Nifty Realty was the top percentage gainer for the week, rising 3.65 per cent.

Nifty Bank Moves Higher For Fifth Week Running

The Nifty Bank - comprising 12 major lenders in the country - clocked a weekly gain of 1.38 per cent (418.85 points), continuing its upmove for the fifth session in a row. Since October 4, the sectoral index has soared a total 3,017.55 points or 10.88 per cent. The financial services sector has a weightage of 39.47 per cent on the Nifty.

Nineteen stocks on the 50-scrip index finished the week higher. Top weekly gainers were: Bharti Infratel, ICICI Bank, Hindalco, Bajaj Finserv and JSW Steel. On the other hand, Titan, Zee Entertainment, Indian Oil, GAIL and Maruti Suzuki - declining between 5.59 per cent and 11.28 per cent - were the top laggards.

The week ahead will have four trading sessions, as the markets will remain closed on Tuesday on account of Gurunanak Jayanti.