Indian equity benchmarks ended in positive terrains on Monday, with both the Nifty and Sensex closing with gains of around half a percent, amid signs of easing geopolitical tensions. Markets made a gap-up opening and extended gains, buoyed by improved sentiment after data showed stronger growth in India’s manufacturing sector for April 2026. Meanwhile, investors kept an eye on trends from West Bengal and other state election results.
Some of the important factors in trade:
GST collections hit record high in April 2026: Sentiments got boost as the government data has showed that total Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection rose to a record of Rs 2,42,702 crore in April 2026 as compared to Rs 2,23,265 crore in April 2025, a growth of 8.7%.
India-UK to enhance trade and investment ties: Traders took support as India and the United Kingdom (UK) have held discussions to enhance bilateral trade and investments and leverage opportunities under the comprehensive economic and trade agreement (CETA) signed in July last year.
India eases FDI norms for foreign companies: 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.
On the global front: European markets were trading in red, 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%. However, Asian markets closed higher tracking positive cues from Wall Street overnight.
The BSE Sensex ended at 77269.40, up by 355.90 points or 0.46% after trading in a range of 76939.54 and 77910.75. There were 19 stocks advancing against 10 stocks declining on the index, while one stock remained unchanged. (Provisional)
The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Realty up by 2.51%, Healthcare up by 1.47%, Industrials up by 1.27%, Capital Goods up by 1.11% and Basic Materials up by 1.05%, while TECK down by 1.53%, IT down by 0.78%, Telecom down by 0.13% and Oil & Gas down by 0.03% were the few losing indices on BSE. (Provisional)
The top gainers on the Sensex were Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone up by 5.49%, Hindustan Unilever up by 2.66%, Reliance Industries up by 2.49%, Eternal up by 2.17% and Larsen & Toubro up by 2.15%. On the flip side, Bharti Airtel down by 3.06%, Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 2.97%, TCS down by 1.76%, Interglobe Aviation down by 1.33% and Infosys down by 1.13% were the top losers. (Provisional)
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a working paper has said that India's digitalisation reforms in public administration have increased productivity in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in states that implemented these changes. MSMEs account for approximately 35 percent of India’s manufacturing output, provide jobs to about 110 million people, and contribute about 45 per cent of the overall exports from India.
Most MSMEs are not formally registered as companies under India's Companies Act of 1956 and only a few studies have been done on the impact of the business environment reforms on these unincorporated enterprises. The working paper stated the reforms in India’s business environment during 2010-11 to 2014–15 were primarily achieved through the digitalisation of business-related public administration.
It noted that the financial burden of bureaucratic procedures is probably minor for large firms but could be significant for small businesses. According to the paper, reforms are organized into six areas: tax systems, construction permits, environment and labour compliance, inspections, commercial disputes and single-window clearances.
The CNX Nifty ended at 24119.30, up by 121.75 points or 0.51% after trading in a range of 24004.75 and 24290.20. There were 37 stocks advancing against 13 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)
The top gainers on Nifty were Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone up by 5.15%, Adani Enterprises up by 3.21%, Eicher Motors up by 3.09%, Hindustan Unilever up by 2.59% and Jio Financial Services up by 2.59%. On the flip side, Bharti Airtel down by 3.16%, Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 3.04%, Dr. Reddy's Lab down by 2.70%, ONGC down by 2.22% and TCS down by 1.72% were the top losers. (Provisional)
European markets were trading lower; France’s CAC fell 121.34 points or 1.5% to 7,993.50 and Germany’s DAX lost 249.38 points or 1.03% to 24,043.00.
Asian markets ended higher on Monday on eased Iran war tensions after US President Donald Trump announced that the US would escort neutral vessels safely through the passageway, aiming to help ships stranded by the conflict with Iran transit securely. The development eased fears of prolonged disruptions to global oil shipping routes and reduced inflation concerns. Seoul shares surpassed the 6,900-point level for the first time on strong semiconductor-led growth, while data showed South Korea’s factory activity expanded at its fastest pace in more than four years in April, with the S&P Global manufacturing PMI rising to 53.6, up from 52.6 in March as semiconductor demand boosted output and new orders. Stock markets of Japan and China were closed for holiday for Greenery Day and Labour Day respectively.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | -- | -- | -- |
Hang Seng | 26,095.88 | 319.35 | 1.24 |
Jakarta Composite | 6,971.95 | 15.15 | 0.22 |
KLSE Composite | 1,739.77 | 17.75 | 1.03 |
Nikkei 225 | -- | -- | -- |
Straits Times | 4,924.31 | 11.62 | 0.24 |
KOSPI Composite | 6,936.99 | 338.12 | 5.12 |
Taiwan Weighted | 40,705.14 | 1,778.51 | 4.57 |
