Overview

• Sensex rose 150 points to 80,718 and Nifty added 19 points to 24,734 after paring strong intraday advances.
• Autos, FMCG and consumer durables led early buying, with Mahindra & Mahindra jumping over 7% in intraday trade.
• The GST Council scrapped GST on life and health insurance and raised the levy on carbonated drinks to 40% from 28%.
• Beverage makers fell, with Varun Beverages down about 3%, while IT, defence and gaming stocks lagged, including a sharp drop in Delta Corp.
• Analysts flagged heavy call-writing at 24,900–25,000 as a key hurdle, with support zones highlighted around 24,400–24,700.