Firms add ₹88,678 cr in market value; ICICI Bank leads gains

Indian equities ended a holiday-shortened week with modest gains, while firm valuations shifted across the BSE and NSE benchmarks. The BSE Sensex rose 297.57 points, or 0.38%, and the NSE Nifty advanced 42.9 points, or 0.17%. The article reports that the combined market value of six of the top-10 most valued companies increased by ₹88,678.1 crore, with ICICI Bank the biggest gainer. ICICI Bank’s market valuation jumped ₹29,588.75 crore to ₹9,95,610.74 crore, helping it lead gains among the top-10. It also notes ICICI Bank joined other gainers such as Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, Bajaj Finance, and Larsen & Toubro. HDFC Bank added ₹24,718.3 crore to reach ₹12,25,981.44 crore, while Reliance Industries rose ₹12,043.96 crore to ₹17,83,926.92 crore. Against this, Bharti Airtel fell ₹35,615.21 crore to ₹11,27,348.09 crore, as LIC and TCS also declined. The piece attributes sentiment to easing crude oil prices, improving geopolitical developments in West Asia, and selective FII buying.