Closing Bell: Nifty settles April F&O expiry below 11,650, Sensex slips 324 points; metal, bank stocks drag

Sectoral Trend: All indices except Nifty Realty ended in red##Sectoral Trend: All indices except Nifty Realty ended in red

Top Nifty gainers and losers: Ultratech Cement top gainer, Bharti Infratel slips most##Top Nifty gainers and losers: Ultratech Cement top gainer, Bharti Infratel slips the most

Closing Bell: Sensex, Nifty end lower as crude prices hit $75 per barrel##Closing Bell: Sensex, Nifty end lower as crude prices hit $75 per barrel

Benchmark indices ended lower on the expiry day, dragged by index heavyweights like RIL, HDFC twins, ICICI Bank, among others, as Brent crude prices rose above $75 per barrel for the first time in 2019. Negative sentiment in the global markets also affected the indices. The BSE Sensex settled at 38,731, down 324 points, while the broader NSE Nifty50 was at 11,642, falling 84 points. Among broader markets, Nifty Midcap indec fell 0.4% and Nifty Smallcap index was flat. Grasim, Ultratech Cement, BPCL, Dr Reddy's and Bharti Airtel were the top gainers on the Nifty, while, Bharti Infratel, Tata Steel, Vedanta, Maruti and Hindalco fell the most on the index.  All sectoral indices, except Nifty Realty ended the day in red. Nifty Metal fell the most followed by banking indices, which fell over 1 percent each. Nifty FMCG and Nifty Auto also slipped during the day.

Indiabulls Ventures Q4 Earnings##Indiabulls Ventures Q4 Earnings

Company's net profit nearly doubled to Rs 109.8 crore in March quarter, against Rs 54.9 crore in same period last year. Revenue from operations jumped 55.4 percent to Rs 600 crore during the quarter YoY.

RC Bhargava says that he aimed for double-digit growth in FY19##RC Bhargava says that he aimed for double-digit growth in FY19

Here's why fund manager Pankaj Tibrewal of Kotak Mahindra AMC is positive on cement stocks##Here's why fund manager Pankaj Tibrewal of Kotak Mahindra AMC is positive on cement stocks

Pankaj Tibrewal, senior VP & fund manager at Kotak Mahindra AMC, shared his views on the fundamentals of the market. Tibrewal is positive on the cement sector. “Our broad thesis remains that over the next three to four years, supply will lack demand which has not been the case for the last five years. In our estimation, even if demand grows by 6-7 percent over the next couple of years, supply will grow at not more than 3-4 percent and that means higher capacity utilization and pricing power in the hands of manufacturers,” Tibrewal told CNBC-TV18 on Thursday. READ MORE

Zydus Cadila receives final approval from USFDA to market Leflunomide Tablets##Zydus Cadila receives final approval from USFDA to market Leflunomide Tablets

Zydus Cadila has received the final approval from the USFDA to market Leflunomide Tablets USP (US RLD — Arava Tablets), 10 mg and 20 mg, Cadila Healthcare said in its BSE filing. It will be manufactured at the group’s formulations manufacturing facility at Baddi. This medication is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, a condition affecting multiple small and large joints of the body.

Maruti reports choppy Q4 earnings; net profit, EBITDA & margin miss estimates##Maruti reports choppy Q4 earnings; net profit, EBITDA & margin miss estimates

Bharti Infratel extends losses in trade on CLSA downgrade, Q4 numbers##Bharti Infratel extends losses in trade on CLSA downgrade, Q4 numbers

Cash buffers extremely strong, 'fairly optimistic' about the future, says Indiabulls Housing##Cash buffers extremely strong, 'fairly optimistic' about the future, says Indiabulls Housing

Indiabulls Housing Finance (IHFL) on Wednesday reported a 7 percent year-on-year (YoY) drop in net profit at Rs 1,006 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31. Gagan Banga, VC and MD of Indiabulls Housing Finance, spoke to CNBC-TV18 about the company's financial results and growth prospects.

“Last two quarters were one of consolidation and risk management. The sector and the overall system was going through a lot of pain and we chose to be conservative up until about the middle of last quarter and since then we have been growing our book again. Liquidity of the company is very solid at over Rs 30,000 crore and that is way above what is normally required for the business. So where we are today, the ALM is extremely strong, the cash buffers are extremely strong and therefore we are fairly optimistic about the future,” Banga said on Thursday. READ MORE

Brent oil prices hits $75 for first time in 2019 amid tighter Iran sanctions##Brent oil prices hits $75 for first time in 2019 amid tighter Iran sanctions

Brent crude oil on Thursday rose above $75 per barrel for the first time in 2019 in the wake of tightening sanctions on Iran, while gains in US prices were crimped by a surge in US supply. Brent crude futures rose to a 2019 high of $75.01 per barrel on Thursday and were at $74.90 per barrel at 0705 GMT, up 33 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last close. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $65.94 per barrel, up 5 cents from their previous settlement. READ MORE

Brokerages bullish on Ultratech Cement post Q4 results; stock rises 10% in 2 days##Brokerages bullish on Ultratech Cement post Q4 results; stock rises 10% in 2 days

Brokerages remained bullish on Ultratech Cement after the company posted an over 100 percent rise year-over-year in its standalone net profit for the quarter ended March 31. The Aditya Birla group company posted a standalone net profit of Rs 1,017.47 crore in the fourth quarter of FY 2018-19, 108 percent up compared to Rs 487.95 crore in the same period last year.

Extending yesterday's gain, Ultratech Cement shares gained 5 percent in intra-day deals on Thursday. It has gained over 10 percent since Wednesday after the company disclosed results.

Brokerages have "buy" ratings on the stock and have raised its target price for the stock. Strong recovery in the company's operating performance after a long time and consistent approach to trim down the cost further augured well, said analysts. READ MORE

Market Off Day's High##Market Off Day's High

Benchmark indices were off day's high in afternoon as Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, reclaimed $75 a barrel. The BSE Sensex rose 42 points to 39,099 and the Nifty50 gained 24 points at 11,750.