Stock market update: Smallcaps hold firm, but trail Sensex; Novartis India, Aarti Drugs melt over 5%

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: In line with the benchmark Sensex, the BSE Smallcap index too was in the positive territory during Thursday's trade. However, in
terms of percentage, the smallcap index was slightly behind the Sensex. Around 11:20 am, the BSE Smallcap index was 0.77 per cent up at
16,556, while the BSE Sensex was 0.88 per cent up at 36,584
The NSE Nifty50 was 0.89 per cent up at 11,046 around that time. Shares of RattanIndia Infrastructure (up 9.56 per cent), Borosil Glass
Works (up 6.98 per cent), A2Z Infra Engineering (up 6.58 per cent), Time Technoplast (up 6.29 per cent) and Nila Infrastructures (up 5.61
per cent) were among the top gainers in the smallcap index. On the other hand, 8K Miles Software Services (down 7.13 per cent), Novartis
India (down 5.52 per cent), Aarti Drugs (down 5.49 per cent), MIC Electronics (down 5.00 per cent) and Ramky Infrastructure (down 4.99 per
cent) were among the top losers in the index. Equity markets were up amid positive Asian cues, while a fresh fall in global crude oil prices
and an improvement in Indian rupee against the US dollar also influenced the sentiment. The rupee strengthened against the US dollar ahead
of the release of industrial growth (IIP) data for May and retail inflation (CPI) data for June. YES Bank, Reliance Industries, State Bank
of India and Tata Steel were leading among the Sensex gainers.