Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) shares gained as much as 1.9 per cent in the early trade on Thursday after the Reserve Bank (RBI) allowed foreign investors to raise their holdings in the oil marketing company to up to 49 per cent.

At 10.18 am, shares of BPCL were trading 1.67 per cent up at Rs 996.45. The scrip opened at Rs 990.50 and has touched a high and low of Rs 999 and Rs 988.60, respectively, in trade so far. Sensex was trading 161.15 points, or 0.60 per cent, down at 26,853.71.

Infosys has dipped nearly 4% to Rs 1,193 on the BSE after the stock turned ex-dividend for Rs 14.25 per share on Thursday.

In past three trading sessions, it has slipped 6% from Rs 1,267 on June 6, as compared to 0.21% rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. The stock hit a record high of Rs 1,278 on June 3, during intra-day trade.

Shares of electric utilities companies such as Tata Power Company (Rs 77), NTPC (Rs 152) and Power Grid Corporation of India (Rs 154) have hit their respective 52-week highs on the BSE in intra-day trade in an otherwise weak market.

These stocks were trading higher in the range of 1% to 2% as compared to 0.80% decline in the S&P BSE Sensex at 01:24 PM.

Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has ordered impounding of "unlawful gains" totalling over Rs 20 crore in two separate cases of price rigging involving Ruchi Soya Industries and Exelon Infrastructure.

In the matter of Ruchi Soya Industries, the regulator directed seven entities — Navinya Multitrade, Shreyans Credit and Capital, Betul Minerals and Constructions, Aventis Biofeeds, Betul Oils and Feeds, Sunmate Trade, Uni24 Techno Solutions — to deposit Rs 8.3 crore (Rs 8,30,99,802), including interest, to an escrow account.

Four Indian women, including SBI Managing director Arundhati Bhattacharya and ICICI Bank Managing director Chanda Kochhar, are in the new list of Forbes’ world’s 100 most powerful women who are building billion-dollar brands and calling the shots in the financial markets.

The Forbes ‘100 Most Powerful Women’ in the world list 2016, topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, includes PepsiCo Chief Indra Nooyi, Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and HT Media head Shobhana Bhartia.

Indian Railway unions have called for a nationwide indefinite strike by workers from July 11 to press their demands including review of new pension scheme and 7th Pay Commission recommendations.

“We will serve strike notices to railways tomorrow for going ahead with our indefinite strike from 6 AM on July 11,” said All-India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) General Secretary S Gopal Mishra.

Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communication shares surged in Wednesday’s trade after Telecom Commission on Tuesday stood by its decision to levy 3 per cent spectrum usage charge (SUC) of adjusted gross revenue on telecom operators.

At 12.02 pm, shares of Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications were trading up 2.22 per cent, 0.52 per cent and 2.07 per cent.

National carrier Air India has barred pilots and cabin crew from operating flights where their immediate family members are also on duty.

There have been occasions when flight duties were performed by immediate family members on the same flight.

Shares of Bharat Forge were up over 2% at Rs 764 on the Bombay Stock Exchange after the company said that its joint venture with Alstom has received an order from NTPC.

Alstom Bharat Forge Power Pvt Ltd (ABFPPL), the joint venture company between GE and Bharat Forge Ltd., signed a contract worth $219 million (Rs 1,495 crore) approximately with NTPC Ltd, the company said in a release.

Shares of GMR Infrastructure were up nearly 3% at Rs 11.85 on the Bombay Stock Exchange after the company said that a consortium led by the company has won the 221 KM Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor project.

The consortium has been issued a Letter of Award for the railway project at a cost of Rs 2280.70 crore on engineering, procurement and construction basis, the company said in a release.

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