Indian shares creep up ahead of RBI rate decision

Investors are keeping a close eye on the Reserve Bank of India's meeting on Wednesday, at which it is expected to cut rates.

india trader
Reuters

Indian shares edged higher on Tuesday, led by gains in automakers after higher sales numbers even as caution prevailed ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy decision on Wednesday.

The S&P BSE Sensex rose 0.19 percent to 32,575 while the broader NSE Nifty advanced 0.37 percent to 10,114.

Investors are keeping a close eye on the Reserve Bank of India's meeting on Wednesday, at which it is expected to cut rates.

The Nifty auto index rose as much as 1.2 percent to hit a record high, on expectations of higher sales numbers from Indian automakers in July.

Maruti Suzuki rose as much as 2.2 percent to touch an all-time high, after reporting a 21 percent increase in July sales.

Trent rose 1.4 percent after the retail chain operator reported a 65 percent jump in its June quarter net profit.

Tech Mahindra gained 4 percent after the software exporter reported a 6.5 percent rise in net profit for the quarter ended 30 June.

Other gainers included Dr. Reddy's, Maruti Suzuki, Wipro and Adani Ports, rising between 1.5 percent to 2 percent.

Among the laggards, Biocon fell 2 percent amidst news report that U.S. drug regulator issued form 483 observations.

Market breadth was in the favour of gainers, with about 2 stocks advancing to every 1 stock that declined.

Meanwhile, Asian shares gained after positive economic data around the globe boosted risk appetite.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.7 percent, led by gains in financials and energy shares.

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