Sensex Gains 100 Points; Mid, Smallcaps Steady; Sula Vineyards, GM Breweries Jump up to 18%

Equity benchmark indices were trading in the green today as Indian stocks continued to consolidate. The BSE Sensex was up 107 points or 0.13% at 82,499, while the NSE Nifty 50 rose 46 points or 0.18% to 25,150.

Top Gainers:
Hero MotoCorp, Coal India, M&M, Reliance Industries, ONGC, Bajaj Auto, and JSW Steel led the Nifty pack, gaining between 1% and 2%.

Top Losers:
On the flip side, Shriram Finance, Bharat Electronics (BEL), Jio Financial Services, Apollo Hospitals, Adani Ports, HDFC Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank declined by up to 1%.

Broader Markets:
The Nifty MidCap and SmallCap indices also edged higher, gaining 0.19% and 0.14%, respectively.

Sectoral Snapshot:
Nifty Auto and Nifty Metal were the top-performing sectoral indices, rising 0.74% and 0.50%. In contrast, the Nifty PSU Bank index fell 0.33%, making it the biggest sectoral laggard of the session.

Buzzing Stocks

Liquor Stocks Slide:
Shares of liquor companies, including United Breweries, United Spirits, and Allied Blenders, fell as much as 6% after the Maharashtra government approved a steep hike in excise duties and introduced tighter regulatory reforms to boost tax revenues.

Winners in the Alcohol Space:
Despite the broader slump, Sula Vineyards and GM Breweries surged 7% and 14%, respectively. The gains came after the state introduced a new category—Maharashtra-Made Liquor (MML)—a grain-based alcohol exclusive to local manufacturers, requiring them to register new brands under this classification.

Aditya Birla Capital Gains on Block Deal:
Shares of Aditya Birla Capital (AB Capital) climbed 2% following a large block deal. Reports suggest U.S.-based private equity firm Advent International was offloading a 1.4% stake in the company.