Thursday, 29 October 2026. A Fed hold overnight and slightly cheaper oil lifted the Nifty 50 by 237.90 points (1.05%) to 22,936.75, only 25.20 points short of its high; ChiniMandi's close report put the gain down to the Fed's decision, a marginal easing in crude and renewed institutional buying. The Sensex rose 905.01 points, the FMCG and realty indices more than 2% each, and India VIX dropped 6.95%. Of the ten sector indices below, Auto alone ended lower.
The Fed holds, and two members vote to raise
The Federal Open Market Committee kept the federal funds target range at 3-3/4 to 4 percent, in a statement released at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, 23:30 IST. The vote was 10-2: Lisa D. Cook and Beth M. Hammack wanted the range raised by a quarter point at this meeting. The statement said inflation "remains elevated" and described economic activity as expanding at a strong pace. HDFC Sky's opening report carried the same range and vote.
Brent below $115 again
On Thursday morning HDFC Sky put Brent at $114.63 a barrel, down $0.69 (0.60%), and WTI at $101.74, down $1.04 (1.01%). Wednesday's jump above $115 followed the Houthi claim of a strike on Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery, covered in the 28 October report.
Reliance Industries, which fell 3.19% on Wednesday, won back a little with a 0.81% gain to ₹1,167.40, a day before its September-quarter results. ONGC added 0.40%. The Nifty Energy index, down 0.89% on Wednesday, rose 1.01%.
Consumer staples and property lead the sector table
| Nifty index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Realty | 819.80 | +2.75% |
| FMCG | 43,882.95 | +2.34% |
| PSU Bank | 8,312.50 | +2.20% |
| Financial Services | 24,704.55 | +1.17% |
| Media | 1,655.35 | +1.10% |
| Energy | 35,299.00 | +1.01% |
| IT | 31,866.40 | +0.99% |
| Metal | 11,848.45 | +0.67% |
| Pharma | 26,710.80 | +0.64% |
| Auto | 25,645.60 | −0.24% |
The FMCG index added 1,004.60 points. Hindustan Unilever rose 2.34% to ₹1,858.20, ITC 2.12% to ₹265, Tata Consumer Products 2.08% to ₹1,021 and Nestle India 1.76% to ₹1,188.60. Vinod Nair of Geojit Investments, quoted by ChiniMandi, credited resilient consumer demand.
Auto was the exception. Maruti Suzuki lost 1.32% to ₹11,426, Bajaj Auto 0.97% and Eicher Motors 0.85%. IT made back part of Wednesday's 1.98% fall: Infosys, down 3.43% on Wednesday, closed at its day high of ₹1,146.50, up 2.08%, and Wipro gained 3.04%.
Adani Ports' profit up 18%, and two Adani stocks top the Nifty 50
Adani Ports reported consolidated net profit of ₹3,682.44 crore for the September quarter, against ₹3,120.20 crore a year earlier, on total income of ₹11,609.77 crore (₹10,004.06 crore a year ago), HDFC Sky reported. The shares closed at the day's high of ₹1,872, up 6.29%. Adani Enterprises gained 5.17%.
| Nifty 50 stock | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Adani Ports | ₹1,872.00 | +6.29% |
| Adani Enterprises | ₹2,607.90 | +5.17% |
| Kotak Mahindra Bank | ₹459.00 | +4.32% |
| Eternal | ₹337.85 | +3.63% |
| Power Grid | ₹260.00 | +3.42% |
| Hindalco | ₹886.30 | −0.83% |
| Eicher Motors | ₹7,238.00 | −0.85% |
| SBI Life Insurance | ₹1,652.00 | −0.88% |
| Bajaj Auto | ₹10,383.00 | −0.97% |
| Maruti Suzuki | ₹11,426.00 | −1.32% |
| Trent | ₹2,861.70 | −1.79% |
None of the close reports I read gave a reason for the moves in Adani Enterprises, Kotak, Eternal or Power Grid. Trent, which closed at its high on Wednesday, gave back 1.79% after dipping to ₹2,828.70.
Banks add 642 points
Bank Nifty rose 642.25 points (1.18%) to 54,909.65, within a range of 54,047.90 to 54,980.15. Kotak's 4.32% gain led the lenders, SBI added 1.58% to ₹971.90, and the PSU Bank index 2.20%. The Midcap 100 closed at its high for the day.
Low in the first five minutes, high at 15:10
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | 22,936.75 | +237.90 pts (+1.05%) |
| Sensex | 74,151.04 | +905.01 pts (+1.24%) |
| Bank Nifty | 54,909.65 | +642.25 pts (+1.18%) |
| Nifty Midcap 100 | 57,841.65 | +566.95 pts (+0.99%) |
| Nifty Smallcap 100 | 18,811.35 | +176.45 pts (+0.95%) |
| India VIX | 15.12 | −1.13 (−6.95%) |
The Nifty opened 8.20 points down at 22,690.65 and made its low, 22,656.75, in the first five-minute candle, 42.10 points under Wednesday's close. It was above 22,800 by the 10:15 candle and reached 22,874.15 at 10:30, then held between 22,799.35 (the 12:45 candle) and 22,876.55 until the 13:45 candle. The 14:00 candle took it past 22,900 to 22,908.75, and the high of 22,961.95, 263.10 points above Wednesday's close, came in the 15:10 candle. The day's range was 305.20 points and the close 280 points above the low. How often each extreme lands in the first or last half hour is counted in the time-of-day study of Nifty highs and lows.
The Sensex moved between 73,181.90 and 74,166.16. India VIX traded between 15.09 and 16.57 and ended near its low.
Jio Platforms' second session
Jio Platforms (NSE: JPL) opened at ₹1,445.90, reached ₹1,489.70, fell as far as ₹1,381 and closed at ₹1,421.60, ₹4.10 above Wednesday's close and 27.04% above the ₹1,119 issue price. Its first quarterly results as a listed company are due on Friday.
Institutions bought on both sides on Wednesday
The "institutional buying" in the close reports matches the latest NSE provisional data, for Wednesday: foreign investors bought a net ₹871.80 crore of shares and domestic institutions a net ₹643.40 crore. Thursday's numbers had not appeared on 5paisa by the time this was written and NSE's own page did not load, so Friday's pre-market report will carry them. What the two categories cover is set out in the FII and DII guide.
Reliance and Jio report on Friday
Both Reliance companies have results on Friday, 30 October, according to Upstox. Reliance Industries' board will take up the September-quarter and half-year figures and a proposal to raise money through non-convertible debentures; Jio Platforms' board meets on its first quarter as a listed company. The week after brings the weekly Nifty F&O expiry on Tuesday, 3 November, and NSE is shut the following Tuesday, 10 November.
Still open tonight: Thursday's flow figures, the US close and Brent's settlement, and the time of day each Reliance company releases its numbers.
Sources
- All closes, intraday highs and lows, five-minute candles and Jio Platforms' second-day prices: Zerodha Kite market data (NSE and BSE)
- Fed decision: Federal Reserve FOMC statement and release PDF
- Brent, WTI and the Fed vote: HDFC Sky opening report
- Stated reasons for the rally and the Geojit quote: ChiniMandi
- Adani Ports results: HDFC Sky
- Jio Platforms issue price: Upstox
- Wednesday's institutional flows: 5paisa's table of NSE provisional figures
- Results calendar: Upstox on Reliance Industries and Jio Platforms; holidays and expiry: NSE holiday list and expiry rules
This note summarises public news and data for information only. It is not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security, and I don't publish levels, targets or trade ideas. I am not registered with SEBI as an investment adviser or research analyst.