Sensex ends flat, Nifty at 8,551 as investors decode GST Bill; Tata Steel top gainer

The S&P BSE Sensex on Thursday ended flat after jumping over 200 points in the early trade, the broader Nifty50 also pared gains to settle the day just a tad above 8,550-mark.
The headline indices welcomed the long-awaited passage of the goods and services tax (GST), though gains were tempered by concerns about the amount of work needed to bring the reforms into reality.The 30-share index ended the day at 27,714, up 16.86 points, while broad-based 50-share index quoted 8,551, up 6.25 points at close.

Sensex, Nifty may hit fresh lifetime highs if GST Bill gets through Parliament

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill has finally entered the last mile with it slated to be taken up in Parliament on Wednesday. Many on the Dalal Street believe the headline indices Sensex and Nifty will hit fresh highs if the GST Bill sees the light of the day, the likelihood of which has strengthened with government including the demands of the states and opposition parties in the fresh Bill.
The market has been on a wobbly road, largely upward, as it awaited the GST since the beginning of the monsoon session. Experts believe the positive sentiment in the market has mostly been built on the hopes that GST will get a green signal.

Sensex, Nifty consolidate; FMCG index up 2%, GAIL down 1%

The market is absolutely flat with the Nifty hovering around 8650. The 50-share index is up 15.95 points or 0.2 percent at 8652.50 and the Sensex is up 66.37 points or 0.3 percent at 28069.49. About 1121 shares have advanced, 1391 shares declined, and 143 shares are unchanged.

ITC, Maruti, Hero MotoCorp, HUL and ONGC are top gainers while HDFC, Wipro, GAIL, Lupin and Bharti are major losers in the Sensex. FMCG index is down 1.9 percent.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet approved 13.5 trillion yen (USD 132.04 billion) in fiscal measures on Tuesday as part of efforts to revive the flagging economy, with cash payouts to low-income earners and infrastructure spending.

The package includes 7.5 trillion yen in spending by the national and local governments, and earmarks 6 trillion yen from the Fiscal Investment and Loan Program, which is not included in the government's general budget.

The stimulus spending is part of a renewed government effort to coordinate its policy with the Bank of Japan, but growing concerns that the BOJ policy has reached its limit triggered the worst sell-off in government bonds in three years.