Markets trade in green in early morning session

Indian equity markets have made a positive start and are trading higher in early morning deals on Tuesday on account of buying by funds and retail investors. Meanwhile, broader indices outperformed their large peers with BSE Mid cap index and Small cap index gaining in the range of 0.85 - 1.05%. Sentiments were upbeat as the FIIs were net buyers in equity segment with net buying of Rs 2,474.10 crore on Monday. Some support came in as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that he held a productive meeting to advance the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with his UK counterpart, Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds. Besides, there was some encouragement as India's industrial production growth marginally accelerated to 3 per cent in March 2025 from 2.7 per cent in February.

On the global front, Asian markets were trading in green as traders remained optimistic and kept a close eye on developments on the tariff front, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly said he believes an agreement in principle can reached on ‘17 or 18 important trade deals’ the administration is currently negotiating. Back home, auto component industry related stocks are in focus as Icra said leading auto component manufacturers could take a revenue hit of up to Rs 4,500 crore in the current fiscal due to dip in overseas shipments stemming from the tariff-related impact.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 80608.57, up by 390.20 points or 0.49% after trading in a range of 80329.69 and 80661.31. There were 24 stocks advancing against 6 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in green; the BSE Mid cap index was up by 0.86%, while Small cap index up by 1.02%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Industrials up by 1.06%, Capital Goods up by 1.05%, Telecom up by 1.01%, PSU up by 0.96% and Realty up by 0.88%, while there were no losers.  

The top gainers on the Sensex were Indusind Bank up by 2.27%, Tata Motors up by 1.82%, Reliance Industries up by 1.35%, Axis Bank up by 1.13% and Bharti Airtel up by 1.04%. On the flip side, Sun Pharma down by 0.69%, Power Grid down by 0.47%, Nestle down by 0.33%, Bajaj Finance down by 0.23% and ITC down by 0.20% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the Retailers Association of India (RAI), basis its survey, has said that a 6 per cent yearly increase in retail sales was reported in March 2025 compared to the same month of 2024. The survey figures point to steady domestic demand at a time when global trade conditions remain unsettled.

It said that North and West India recorded the highest year-on-year growth at 8 per cent each. East and South India followed with a 5 per cent rise. Among categories, food and grocery led with 11 per cent growth, while quick service restaurants (QSR) grew by 9 per cent. Footwear and consumer durables-electronics grew at a slower rate of 2 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively.

It also stated a cautious but steady outlook among retailers, with no significant drops in consumer spending. While concerns remain about the wider impact of global trade tensions, current trends suggest that domestic consumption is largely unaffected.

Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO of RAI, said retail businesses in India reflects growth. However, double digit growth is still eluding the sector. Customers are spending cautiously but are willing to spend on aspirational and innovative products. He added discretionary spending keeps shifting from one category to another and hence no category has been witnessing steady growth month on month.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24417.10, up by 88.60 points or 0.36% after trading in a range of 24364.35 and 24457.65. There were 39 stocks advancing against 11 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Bharat Electronics up by 2.07%, Tata Motors up by 2.02%, Indusind Bank up by 1.54%, Reliance Industries up by 1.48% and Trent up by 1.28%. On the flip side, Cipla down by 0.97%, Sun Pharma down by 0.97%, Dr. Reddy's Lab down by 0.71%, Nestle down by 0.71% and Power Grid down by 0.57% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading in green; Hang Seng advanced 89.49 points or 0.41% to 22,061.45, Jakarta Composite gained 25.62 points or 0.38% to 6,748.59, Shanghai Composite weakened 0.96 points or 0.03% to 3,287.45, Straits Times rose 11.34 points or 0.3% to 3,823.14, KOSPI increased 15.09 points or 0.59% to 2,563.95 and Taiwan Weighted added 132.31 points or 0.66% to 20,166.72.