A firm trade continued over the Dalal Street in late afternoon session, with both Sensex and Nifty holding notable gains in a volatile session, aided by positive cues from other Asian markets. Sentiments were upbeat, after reports that India cautiously eased FDI norms from May 1, 2026, for foreign companies with Chinese/Hong Kong shareholding of up to 10 per cent to invest in India under the automatic route. Besides, India’s manufacturing sector growth improved in the month of April 2026. According to the survey report, the seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 54.7 in April from 53.9 in March.
On the global front, European markets were trading mixed, with investors following the latest developments in the Middle East and assessing U.S. President Donald Trump's threat that he would increase tariffs on EU cars and trucks to 25%.
The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 77238.15, up by 324.65 points or 0.42% after trading in a range of 76939.54 and 77910.75. There were 21 stocks advancing against 9 stocks declining on the index.
The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Realty up by 2.47%, Healthcare up by 1.34%, Industrials up by 1.14%, Metal up by 1.14% and Capital Goods up by 1.04%, while TECK down by 1.43%, IT down by 0.67% and Telecom down by 0.19% were the few losing indices on BSE.
The top gainers on the Sensex were Adani Ports & SEZ up by 4.46%, Hindustan Unilever up by 2.36%, Larsen & Toubro up by 2.23%, Reliance Industries up by 2.23% and Maruti Suzuki up by 1.89%. On the flip side, Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 3.04%, Bharti Airtel down by 3.02%, TCS down by 1.44%, ITC down by 1.00% and Infosys down by 0.87% were the top losers.
Meanwhile, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the RBI will move ahead with efforts to deepen financial markets, broaden participation, and further strengthen institutional frameworks. He said the central bank will also continue to strive for efficiency, consumer protection, fairness, transparency, and ethical conduct. In this pursuit, it will continue to assess and meet the emerging market needs.
He said that geo-economic fragmentation caused by tariffs, trade restrictions, and industrial policies are reshaping not only global supply chains, they are also affecting the free movement of capital and leading to the fragmentation of financial flows. He said the disrupted supply chains and rising energy prices has already affected economic activity and if the crisis persists longer, it may also translate into second?order inflationary pressures.
RBI Governor has stated that India’s macroeconomic fundamentals remained robust supported by strong consumption and sustained public investment, despite macroeconomic headwinds from geo?political tensions. He said the government's focus on capital expenditure has helped crowd in private investment and improve productive capacity. He noted that Indian economy grew at an average of 8.2 per cent during 2021-25, with 7.6 per cent growth estimated for 2025-26 and 6.9 per cent projected for 2026-27.
He further said that corporate balance sheets have improved, supported by stronger earnings, and the fund mobilisation by Indian corporates through public markets has remained strong over the last two financial years. He emphasised that Indian financial markets have matured considerably over the past few years, which is an outcome of conscious policy choices over the years.
The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24111.60, up by 114.05 points or 0.48% after trading in a range of 24004.75 and 24290.20. There were 37 stocks advancing against 13 stocks declining on the index.
The top gainers on Nifty were Adani Ports & SEZ up by 4.47%, Adani Enterprises up by 3.23%, Eicher Motors up by 3.07%, Shriram Finance up by 2.44% and JIO Financial Serv. up by 2.38%. On the flip side, Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 3.10%, Bharti Airtel down by 3.04%, Dr. Reddy's Lab down by 2.60%, ONGC down by 2.07% and TCS down by 1.46% were the top losers.
European markets were trading mixed; France’s CAC fell 41.34 points or 0.51% to 8,073.50, while Germany’s DAX gained 21.12 points or 0.09% to 24,313.50.
All Asian markets were trading higher; Taiwan Weighted added 1778.51 points or 4.37% to 40,705.14, KOSPI increased 338.12 points or 4.87% to 6,936.99, Hang Seng advanced 309.47 points or 1.19% to 26,086.00, Straits Times rose 17.55 points or 0.36% to 4,930.24 and Jakarta Composite gained 2.33 points or 0.03% to 6,959.13.
