Nifty end nears 17,100 on F&O expiry day; HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank among most active stocks

Equity markets struggled between gains and losses on the day of the monthly F&O expiry for the March derivatives' series, however, fag-end buying helped frontline indices settle near the day's high level amid robust buying in metal, auto, and financial (especially PSU banks) stocks.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 57,960, up 346 points and the Nifty50 closed at 17,081, up 129 points. The broader markets, meanwhile, outshone benchmarks with 1.67 percent gains each.   

Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, JSW Steel, Eicher Motors, HCL Tech, Bajaj Auto, Ultratech Cement, Tata Motors, and Hero MotorCorp were the large-cap winners. 

India VIX plunged 11.8% in the session and ended 9.75% lower at 13.32 levels.

All sectoral indices under the Nifty ended high, with gains led by Nifty PSU Bank soaring 3.22%, while Nifty Media, Nifty Realty, and Nifty Metal zoomed up to 3%, whereas Nifty Bank surged 0.86%.

Meanwhile, US Futures Dow Futures jumped 0.65% and Nasdaq 100 Futures surged 0.9%.