Bourses continue to trade flat in early afternoon session

Indian equity markets continued their flat trade in early afternoon session as investors maintained risk adverse approach. Traders took note of report that 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. Besides, India’s industrial growth measured in Index of Industrial Production (IIP) picked up to 3.0 per cent in March 2025 from 2.7 per cent in the previous month with growth in manufacturing and electricity generation. On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed as investors considered tariff updates. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 80227.86, up by 9.49 points or 0.01% after trading in a range of 80122.02 and 80661.31. There were 13 stocks advancing against 17 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in green; the BSE Mid cap index gained 0.20%, while Small cap index was up by 0.20%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Capital Goods up by 1.13%, Industrials up by 0.86%, Energy up by 0.72%, Oil & Gas up by 0.56% and Consumer Durables was up by 0.37%, while Metal down by 0.74%, Utilities down by 0.65%, Basic Materials down by 0.53%, Healthcare down by 0.53% and Auto was down by 0.47% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Reliance Industries up by 2.56%, Tech Mahindra up by 1.63%, Eternal up by 1.58%, Larsen & Toubro up by 0.72% and Bajaj Finserv up by 0.50%. On the flip side, Ultratech Cement down by 1.97%, Power Grid down by 1.65%, Sun Pharma down by 1.11%, Nestle down by 1.05% and Bajaj Finance down by 0.87% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, Federation of Indian Exporter Organisations (FIEO) has said that American sourcing firms and exporters in China are approaching Indian companies to supply goods to the US as high tariffs imposed by Washington are making it difficult for them to ship directly to America. The US has imposed 145 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods entering the American market. For India, the duty is just 10 per cent.

FIEO Director General Ajay Sahai said ‘we also held an online meeting with a big US firm. Huge export opportunities are there for Indian exporters due to high import duties imposed by the US on China.’ Besides, he said Chinese manufacturer exporters from various sectors like electronics, hand tools and home appliances are also reaching out to Indian traders. He stated that Chinese firms are willing to pass on the export orders they receive to Indian firms so that shipments can continue and their business relationships with the US remain intact and in return, Chinese companies are seeking a commission fee facilitating the orders. 

He further said a significant number of firms from the neighbouring country are approaching the domestic exporters with these business prepositions. He said a lot of these Beijing-based units have approached them at the ongoing Canton Fair in Guangzhou, which is the world's biggest trade fair. He added that the domestic players should look into increasing their capacities to tap into these opportunities. Going ahead, they can make direct relationships with those US buyers.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24313.25, down by 15.25 points or 0.06% after trading in a range of 24290.75 and 24457.65. There were 16 stocks advancing against 34 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Bharat Electronics up by 3.85%, Reliance Industries up by 2.56%, Tech Mahindra up by 1.63%, Eternal up by 1.56% and Larsen & Toubro up by 0.75%. On the flip side, Ultratech Cement down by 2.09%, Dr. Reddy's Lab down by 2.05%, Eicher Motors down by 1.95%, Shriram Finance down by 1.65% and Power Grid down by 1.60% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Taiwan Weighted added 198.22 points or 0.98% to 20,232.63, Jakarta Composite gained 23.86 points or 0.35% to 6,746.83, KOSPI increased 16.56 points or 0.65% to 2,565.42 and Straits Times was up by 0.88 points or 0.02% to 3,812.68. On the flip side, Shanghai Composite weakened 1.57 points or 0.05% to 3,286.84 and Hang Seng was down by 14.1 points or 0.06% to 21,957.86.