Today’s Stock Market Closing, 21 Aug: Nifty and Sensex End in Green for 6 Consecutive Days; Sensex Reclaims 82,000 Mark, Led by Financial Stocks

At the closing bell, the Nifty 50 ended up by 33.20 points or 0.13%, at 25,083.75. The Sensex jumped by 142.87 points or 0.17% to 82,000.71. Sensex closed above the 82,000 mark.

Gains in ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, L&T, Bajaj Finance, and HDFC Bank lifted the Sensex, while sentiment stayed cautious due to upcoming tariff risks despite support from GST reforms and an S&P upgrade. 

On the sectoral front, 5 out of 11 key sectoral indices ended in positive territory. Meanwhile, broader indices like Nifty Midcap 100 and Smallcap 100 ended lower. 

Stock-Specific Highlights

Among individual stocks,

• Nazara Technologies’ share price has gone down 13% in 2 days amid the Lok Sabha's passing of the online gaming bill. 
• Clean Science's share price dived 2.69% after a pricing error in a block deal. 
• India Cements' share price jumped 5.5% as UltraTech Cement's OFS to sell 6.5% stake opens today.

Nifty Pharma - Top Gainer of the Day

The Nifty Pharma index advanced 0.95%, emerging as the best-performing sectoral index. Mankind Pharma and Cipla were the top gainers in the pack. On the flip side, the Nifty FMCG index slipped 0.64%, making it the worst performer.

Nifty 50: Top Pullers and Draggers of the Day

The key drivers of the index gains were:

• ICICI Bank:  +25.38 points
• Reliance Industries: +17.61 points
• Cipla: +5.90 points

On the other hand, these stocks weighed on the index:

• Eternal:  - 6.90 points
• PowerGrid: - 4.48 points
• Hindustan Unilever: - 4.09 points

Broader Markets Negative

The broader market indices ended marginally lower. The Mid-cap 100 index ended down by 0.38% and the Small-cap 100 index closed marginally lower by 0.01%. 

Market Breadth

As of August 21, 2025, the market breadth was in favour of advancing stocks. Out of 3,068 stocks traded on the NSE, 1,506 advanced, 1,476 declined, and 86 remained unchanged. 

A total of 82 stocks touched their 52-week highs, while 28 hit their 52-week lows. Additionally, 99 stocks were locked in their upper circuits, whereas 35 stocks were in lower circuits. 

Disclaimer: The article is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.