CNBC-TV18 Closing Bell: Sensex ends 95 points higher, Nifty above 11600, HCL Tech up 3% ahead of Q2 results

Indian equity benchmark indices, the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty50, ended Wednesday's trading session with minor gains, boosted by a last hour recovery led by IT and auto stocks. Trade sentiment remained cautious amid the ongoing earnings season and continued uncertainty over Brexit.

The 30-share S&P BSE Sensex ended 94.99 points, or 0.24 percent, higher at 39,058. It hit an intra-day high of 39,196.67 and a low of 38,866.08. The broader NSE Nifty50 too advanced 15.75 points, or 0.14 percent, to settle at 11,604.10.

The Nifty MidCap 100 index rose 0.13 percent, a tad behind its front-line peer. The Nifty Bank rose 0.21 percent, while IT, finance, pharma, FMCG, and auto were notable sectoral gainers.

Metal, CPSE, capital goods, oil & Gas, realty and basic metal sectoral gauges declined.

HCL Tech was the top gainer on both indices, rising 3 percent, ahead of its quarterly results. Eicher Motors, Infosys, Maruti Suzuki and JSW Steel were other leading Nifty gainers, while Adani Ports, Bharti Airtel, ZEEL, Vedanta and Grasim fell by up to 6 percent.

Infosys shares erased early losses on Wednesday and settled over 1 percent on increased buying in the stock.

Bajaj Auto on Wednesday reported better-than-expected earnings in the July-September quarter this fiscal year. The standalone net profit this year came in at Rs 1,402 crore v/s CNBC-TV18 poll of Rs 1,189 crore.

Shares of Jubilant Foodworks rose over 8 percent intraday on Wednesday after brokerage firms raised their price targets on the stock, given the company's better than expected earnings for the September quarter.

Domestic investors were cautious tracking global stocks after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost the crucial Brexit bill timetable vote on Tuesday, leaving in doubt his vow to exit the European Union by the end of the month, PTI quoted traders as saying.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong Tokyo and Seoul ended on a mixed note.

Equities in Europe were also trading on a choppy note in their respective early deals.