2021 full of milestones for Indian equity market: Sensex, Nifty rally up to 24 pc

Indian equity market ended the year 2021 on a high note on Friday, with the BSE benchmark Sensex rising over 450 points and the NSE Nifty advancing over 150 points on account of widespread buying across sectors.

After an eventful 2020, benchmark indices showed strong resistance in 2021 with the economy showing signs of recovery from the pandemic jolt. The Sensex gained 21.99 per cent or 10,502.49 points, and the Nifty rose 24.11 per cent or 3,372.3 points during the year.

On the last trading day of 2021, the Sensex closed 459.50 points or 0.80 per cent higher at 58,253.82 and the Nifty ended 150.10 points or 0.87 per cent up at 17,354.05.

Titan was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 3.5 per cent, followed by Ultratech Cement, Kotak Bank, SBI, Maruti Suzuki and Bajaj Finance.

On the other hand, NTPC, Tech Mahindra, PowerGrid and Infosys were the four shares ended with losses.

The Indian equity market surged to its record high on October 19, 2021. The Sensex hit an all-time high of 62,245 and the Nifty rose to a record 18,604 in intraday trade.

Carrying their winning momentum forward, the Sensex has clocked a gain of 140 per cent and the Nifty 145 per cent from March 2020 lows.

The Sensex and the Nifty had hit four-year lows on March 23, 2020 after rising number of Covid cases in the country and the resultant lockdown. 

On Friday, Bourses in Tokyo and South Korea were closed. Among others, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by 1.24 per cent while Shanghai Composite gained 0.57 per cent.

Stock exchanges in Europe were trading with losses in mid-session deals.

"What a year 2021 has been...The globe recovered from the Covid pandemic but faced another round of virus spread in March. However resilient Nifty kept rising through the year till October and then saw some decent correction. Globally and in India the marketcap on GDP ratio touched an all-time high due to large liquidity flows, low-interest rates, the expectation of early return to normalcy and low returns from other asset classes," Dhiraj Relli, MD & CEO, HDFC Securities, said.

Transition to 2022 will see a more normal monetary policy, and investors could do well to expect more moderate returns from financial markets. Central banks will start to raise rates but remain more tolerant of inflation. Central banks and their assessment of economic conditions will likely be front and centre once again in shaping investment strategies in 2022, he added.

"Post a super show in 2021, valuation levels in Indian equities could make most people cautious on India within EMs and Asia. Indian equities are running into many challenges, including the US rate cycle, rising oil prices, elections in key states, potential Covid wave 3, an upward inflexion in domestic interest rates, rich headline valuations and strong relative trailing performance," Relli said.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital market, as they sold shares worth Rs 986.32 crore on Thursday, according to stock exchange data.

Image: PTI