The Indian market ended a volatile session modestly lower on Friday, weighed by a government report that showed a modest rise in food inflation for the week ended August 21. Underlying sentiment remained extremely cautious as the U.S. government's monthly employment report loomed.
After trading choppily in a restricted range, the 30-share Sensex finally ended down 17 points or 0.09% at 18,221, while the broader Nifty eased 7 points or 0.12%. However, stock-specific buying especially in small caps and midcaps continued. In the broader market, gaining shares outnumbered declining ones by 1661 to 1246 shares.
Metal stocks pared initial gains to end considerably lower. Jindal Steel lost 2.10%, Sesa Goa eased 1.81%, Hindalco declined 1.47%, Sterlite gave off 1.28% and Tata Steel ended down 0.64%. Oil/gas stocks also witnessed significant selling pressure, led by heavyweight Reliance Industries that closed 1.23% lower.
Auto stocks like Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland and Bajaj Auto rose between 0.6% and 3.2% after reporting strong sales numbers for August. Hero Honda Motors added 2.14%, reversing its recent losses.
In the telecom sector, Bharti Airtel, which appointed its founder's son as a manger at an overseas unit, gained 1.60% and Reliance Communication added 0.43%, while Idea Cellular slipped 0.21%.
Auto component maker Kinetic Engineering, which is ramping up production capacity at its Ahmednagar unit, rallied 4.45%. Wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon Energy fell 2.63% after Reliance Industries denied media reports that it may buy a stake in the company.
High-beta realty stocks, which underperformed the broader market in recent sessions, bounced back sharply. Orbit Corp, DB Realty, Sobha Developers, HDIL and Unitech rose by 2%-3%.
Retailers such as Pantaloon Retail and Shopper's Stop rose over a percent after commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma backed foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail sector. Trent climbed 5.50% after Reliance Capital Asset Management bought a 8.68% stake in the company.
Adani Power edged up 0.49% after a 3% loss in the previous session on an unfavorable ruling by Gujarat electricity regulator. Lupin advanced 1.48% after it reportedly received US FDA permission to seek nod for a generic version of Pfizer's cholesterol drug Lipitor.
Shipping stocks rose, mirroring gains in the Baltic dry index. Essar Shipping gained 0.64%, Mercator Lines firmed up by a percent and Varun Shipping rose nearly 2%.
Elsewhere, most Asian stock markets advanced on Thursday, as yet another positive finish on Wall Street overnight on the back of upbeat data on pending home sales, weekly jobless claims and fairly robust August retail sales bolstered investor appetite for riskier assets.
However, China's Shanghai Composite average closed flat with a negative bias, with financials and property developers leading the losses, amid concerns about banks' bad loans and speculation over the government introducing more tightening measures to curb property prices. The European markets were cautiously optimistic, while the U.S. index futures fluctuated.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.