These stocks are likely to be in focus on December 17

On Thursday, the equity markets managed to end marginally higher amid volatility, taking a breather after the recent fall.

At close, the Sensex was up by 113.11 points or 0.20% at 57,901.14, and the Nifty was up by 27 points or 0.16% at 17,248.40.

Hindalco, Cipla, Maruti Suzuki, Hero Motocorp, and ICICI Bank were among the top Nifty losers. Gainers included Bajaj finance, Infosys, BPCL, Titan Company, and Reliance Industries.

On the sectoral front, BSE Energy and IT indices ended 1% higher, while all others maintained a bearish outlook. In the broader markets, the BSE midcap index fell 0.7% whereas the BSE smallcap index slipped 0.65%.

These stocks are likely to be in focus for Friday's trading session:

Cadila Healthcare Ltd - Zydus has received the Orphan Drug Designation from US FDA for ZY-19489, a novel compound to treat malaria. ZY19489 is a novel antimalarial compound active against all current clinical strains of P. falciparum and P. vivax, including drug-resistant strains.

Larsen & Toubro – In the initial hour of the trading session, the company announced that its Power Transmission & Distribution business has acquired multiple large orders bearing value between Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 crore both in India and overseas. Despite the news, the stock traded flat during Thursday’s trading session and ended 0.35% on the lower side.

Infosys - The global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, announced an extension of its digital innovation partnership with the Australian Open (AO) until the end of 2026. The expanded collaboration will see Infosys and Tennis Australia continue to harness Big Data and Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Cloud technologies to elevate the AO experience for fans, players, coaches, partners, and the media.

52-week high stocks – From the BSE 200 pack, the stocks of Adani Total Gas, and Tech Mahindra have hit their 52-week high prices on Thursday. Keep a watch on these stocks for Friday's trading session.