The key domestic equity benchmarks traded with modest gains in early trade as investors indulged in short-covering after steep losses in the previous session amid mixed global cues. Nifty traded above the 23,250 mark. All sectoral indices on the NSE were traded in the green, with PSU bank, metal, and consumer durable shares advancing the most.
At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 873.60 points or 1.18% to 75,080.84. The Nifty 50 index rose 277.25 points or 1.24% to 23,279.40.
The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index jumped 1.69% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 1.41%.
The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,613 shares rose and 465 shares fell. A total of 111 shares were unchanged.
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, fell 3.46% to 22.01.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 7,558.19 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 3,863.96 crore in the Indian equity market on 19 March 2026, provisional data showed.
Stocks in Spotlight:
JSW Cement rose 2.96% after the company announced that it has commissioned a greenfield grinding plant in Rajasthan with a capacity of 2.5 MTPA.
Lemon Tree Hotels added 1.22% after the company said that it has signed a license agreement viz. Lemon Tree Resort in Lonavala, Maharashtra. The property shall be managed by Carnation Hotels Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lemon Tree Hotels.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) advanced 1.56% after the company stated that it has entered into a pact with ABB for a strategic IT, AI, and engineering partnership.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper rose 0.45% to 6.759 compared with the previous session close of 6.729.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 92.9125 compared with its close of 92.8900 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 2 April 2026 settlement rose 2.04% to Rs 147,903.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was up 0.23% to 99.43.
The United States 10-year bond yield shed 0.33% to 4.269.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for May 2026 settlement rose $1.79 or 1.65% to $106.86 a barrel.
Global Markets:
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday, following volatile trading on Wall Street overnight, as the Middle East war and disruptions to energy supply keep investors jittery.
Japan’s markets were closed for a public holiday
Signaling efforts at calming concerns, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he was not deploying ground troops, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would refrain from repeating attacks on Iranian energy facilities.
U.S.-aligned countries, including Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Japan issued a joint statement expressing “our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait” of Hormuz.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.44% to 46,021.43 points. The S&P 500 fell 0.27% to end the session at 6,606.49 points, while the Nasdaq Composite slumped 0.28% to 22,090.69.