On Thursday, August 21, Indian markets closed higher, led by finance stocks after the GST panel of Indian state ministers proposed exempting taxes on health, life insurance premiums for individuals.
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.
Among individual stocks,
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.
The key drivers of the index gains were:
On the other hand, these stocks weighed on the index:
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%.
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.
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