Dalal Street ended the short holiday week in the green, raising the combined market cap of India’s 10 most valuable companies by Rs 2.20 lakh crore. Reliance Industries led the rally as investor sentiment remained resilient despite the volatile trading environment.The gains came even as the stock market moved within a narrow range. The BSE Sensex rose 249.29 points, or 0.32%, during the week. “Markets ended the week with marginal gains, reflecting a volatile and range-bound trading environment amid mixed global and domestic signals,” said Ajit Mishra – Senior Vice President, Research, Religare Broking Ltd.He said that markets started the week on an optimistic note, supported by easing geopolitical tensions and steady progress in fourth-quarter earnings, which supported sentiment in the first sessions. However, this momentum later weakened as rising crude oil prices, weak Asian market trends, and continued foreign institutional investor inflows limited further gains.Reliance Industries had the biggest jump in valuation, with its market capitalization increasing by Rs 1,39,655.8 crore to Rs 19,36,303.30 crore. Bharti Airtel also registered a significant rise, adding Rs 43,503.51 crore and taking its valuation to Rs 11,49,222.13 crore. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) saw its market capitalization rise by Rs 27,569.83 crore to Rs 8,94,933.95 crore, while Bajaj Finance gained Rs 9,432.32 crore, taking its valuation to Rs 5,83,123.13 crore.
In contrast, six of the top 10 companies together lost Rs 1.24 lakh crore on valuation.ICICI Bank registered the biggest decline among laggards, with its market capitalization shrinking by Rs 45,364.62 crore to Rs 9,04,980.78 crore. State Bank of India followed with a decline of Rs 30,922.57 crore, lowering its valuation to Rs 9,85,829.96 crore. HDFC Bank’s valuation fell by Rs 20,951.31 crore to Rs 11,87,274.17 crore, while Hindustan Unilever lost Rs 18,420.79 crore to settle at Rs 5,28,799.01 crore.
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) saw its valuation fall by Rs 8,222.49 crore to Rs 5,04,798.07 crore, and Larsen & Toubro’s market capitalization fell by Rs 178.83 crore to Rs 5,51,993.05 crore.As the week ended, Reliance Industries continued to hold its position as the country’s most valuable domestic company. HDFC Bank remained in second place, followed by Bharti Airtel, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, TCS, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Unilever and LIC.