Indian shares led higher by metal stocks; Fed commentary eyed
Updates to close
By Bharath Rajeswaran
BENGALURU, July 31 (Reuters) -Indian shares inched higher on Wednesday, led by metal stocks, while the focus shifts to the Federal Reserve's rate decision and commentary on monetary policy.
The NSE Nifty 50 .NSEI rose 0.38% to 24,951.15 points, while the S&P BSE Sensex .BSESN added 0.35% to 81,741.34.
The Nifty hit a record high of 24,999.75 on Monday but has since struggled as investors booked profits.
"While the Nifty is facing resistance near 25,000 levels, the markets have held stable despite profit booking thanks to buying interest from domestic institutional and retail investors at every dip," said Anita Gandhi, founder and head of institution at Arihant Capital Markets.
"Mostly in-line earnings season so far is also supporting sentiment."
Ten of the 13 major sectors logged gains. The metals index .NIFTYMET rose 1.2%, helped by a softer U.S. dollar, which makes metals cheaper to holders of other currencies. MET/L
The pharma index .NIPHARM added 1.1%, led by Zydus Lifesciences' ZYDU.NS 2.5% rise after getting approval to market its cancer drug in Mexico.
IT companies .NIFTYIT, which earn a significant share of their revenue from the U.S., rose 0.2% ahead of the Fed's policy decision, due after the Indian markets close.
While the Fed is expected to hold rates, any dovish commentary could boost sentiment and spur a rally in Indian markets in general, due to re-routed foreign inflows, and in IT stocks in particular. Traders are pricing in rate cuts from September.
GAIL GAIL.NS gained 3.1% to hit an all-time high after posting a higher quarterly profit.
Torrent Power TOPO.NS climbed 16.6% after reporting a rise in its first-quarter profit, leading the mid-cap index .NIFMDCP100 0.6% higher.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises ZEE.NS jumped 2.4% after the broadcaster swung to a quarterly profit, from a year-ago loss, as it added more subscribers.
Maruti Suzuki MRTI.NS gained about 2% after its quarterly profit beat estimates.
Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Savio D'Souza
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