Indian equity benchmark -- Nifty -- ended marginally higher on Thursday. Index made a gap-down start following negative cues from other Asian peers as US President Donald Trump signalled continued aggressive military action and warned that US strikes on Iran would persist for the next few weeks. Soon, index extended its losses as persistent foreign fund outflow dampened investors’ sentiments. As per exchange data, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 8,331.15 crore on April 1, 2026. Traders remained cautious as the HSBC India Manufacturing PMI fell to 53.9 in March 2026 from 56.9 in February, slightly higher than preliminary estimates of 53.8. However, in second half of the session, index started trimming losses as traders opted buy fundamentally good stocks at lower levels. Meanwhile, rupee strengthened by Rs 1.59 to trade at Rs 93.11 against US Dollar, also supported trading sentiments. In last leg of the session, index staged sharp recovery and managed to end the session tad above 22,700 mark.
