Indian shares ended higher on Thursday, tracking Asian peers, with financial stocks such as ICICI Bank Ltd contributing most to the gains on the indexes. The broader NSE index ended 0.47 percent higher at 8,699.40, while the benchmark BSE index closed up 0.52 percent at 28,129.84. Almost all constituents on the Nifty Bank Index and the Nifty Financial Services Index, which also includes non-banking financial companies, closed higher.
ICICI Bank ended up 4.7 percent, while State Bank of India closed 1.8 percent higher. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.2 percent, while Japan's Nikkei extended gains to 1 percent. The final US presidential debate between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump also weighed on market sentiment, as Trump suggested that he might reject the outcome of the November 8 presidential election if he loses, a possibility Clinton called "horrifying."
Back home, investors await further quarterly results, with Reliance Industries Ltd slated to report later in the day. "After volatile trading in the previous session, we're holding ground today. With earnings underway, more results unfolding would be supportive of the market," said Gaurang Shah, vice president, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services. "In terms of triggers, the final US presidential debate is definitely a key," Shah added.