The domestic equity benchmarks opened on a strong note in early trade, supported by positive global cues amid signs of possible de-escalation in Middle East tensions and a decline in crude oil prices below the $100 per barrel mark. However, investor sentiment remained cautious due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The Nifty traded above the 23,200 level.
Barring IT all the sectoral indices on the NSE were traded in green.
At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex surged 912.99 points or 1.23% to 74,969.87. The Nifty 50 index soared 309.15 points or 1.34% to 23,220.55.
The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index gained 2.17% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 2.24%.
The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,861 shares rose and 431 shares fell. A total of 165 shares were unchanged.
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term rose 0.33% to 24.82.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 8,009.56 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 5,867.15 crore in the Indian equity market on 24 March 2026, provisional data showed.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper shed 0.17% to 6.855 compared with the previous session close of 6.839.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 93.9275 compared with its close of 93.7600 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 2 April 2026 settlement jumped 3.82% to Rs 144,220.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.15% to 99.28.
The United States 10-year bond yield declined 1.14% to 4.344.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for May 2026 settlement declined $4.70 or 4.50% to $99.79 a barrel.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Sanathan Textiles shed 0.58%. The company’s subsidiary, Sanathan Polycot, has signed a Share Subscription and Shareholders’ Agreement along with a Power Supply and Consumption Agreement (PSCA) to acquire a 26% stake in Serentica Renewables India 33 Private Limited, a subsidiary of Serentica Renewables India. The investment will help the company source renewable power as a captive consumer for a contracted capacity of 32 MW.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) advanced 1.38% after the company announced that NeuEN Green Energy, its 50:50 joint venture with Sembcorp Green Hydrogen India (a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries), has secured a contract to supply 10,000 tonnes per annum (10 KTPA) of green hydrogen to Numaligarh Refinery (NRL). Separately, the company has commissioned its second-generation bioethanol refinery at Bargarh.
NTPC Green Energy rose 0.71%. The company announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nxtra Data for the development of renewable energy projects to supply round-the-clock (RTC) renewable power to Nxtra Datacenters across India for captive consumption.
Global Markets:
Asian markets advanced across the board on Wednesday as comments from U.S. President Donald Trump pointing to potential talks with Iran lifted sentiment, even as Tehran has denied any direct negotiations with Washington.
Speaking at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. and Iran were “in negotiations right now” and suggested Tehran was keen to strike a peace deal, adding he had stepped back from threats to target Iranian energy infrastructure “based on the fact we’re negotiating.”
Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 pulled back on Tuesday, giving back some of the sharp gains seen in the previous session, as crude prices rose again while the Iran war moved further into its fourth week.
The broad market index lost 0.37% and ended at 6,556.37, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 84.41 points, or 0.18%, and settled at 46,124.06. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.84% and closed at 21,761.89.