Rate cut hopes help Sensex, Nifty as Reliance gains again

Indian shares inched higher on Monday, with most sectors gaining as investors bet June inflation data later in the day would open the way to further cuts in interest rates by the central bank to help an economy battered by coronavirus lockdowns and surging cases.

The broader NSE Nifty 50 index rose 0.82{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} to 10,856.05 by 9:15 am and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex was up 0.83{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} at 36,898.33.

A Reuters poll last week showed India’s headline inflation likely eased to 5.3{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58} in June, still just over a point above Reserve Bank of India’s medium-term target of 4.0{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58}.

RBI governor Shaktikanta Das on Saturday also said inflation will continue to moderate going forward and investment activity will revive, but cautioned about uncertainty in the economy’s medium-term outlook.

The expectations of easing inflation come as Asia’s third-largest economy reported 28,701 more coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 878,254.

India’s most valuable stock Reliance Industries rose for a third-consecutive day and touched a fresh record high of 1917 rupees in the session on Qualcomm Inc’s 7.3 billion rupees ($97.11 million) investment in the Indian conglomerate’s Jio Platforms.

IT services firm Infosys was the top gainer on the NSE index, rising 2.25{b1ee4ac4d8d7b8e1af61a560a11ca52574b8103b547ccac8037ce0cdf9e7ba58}.

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