Gains across sectors - led by banking, financial services and metal shares - pushed the markets higher
- The Sensex ended 192.84 points - or 0.47 per cent - higher at 40,869.47 and the Nifty settled at 12,052.95, up 59.90 points - or 0.50 per cent - from the previous close. Both indexes had gained as much as 1.1 per cent during the session.
- Thirty three stocks on the 50-scrip index ended higher. Top percentage gainers were Vedanta, Zee Entertainment, UltraTech Cement, UPL and Reliance Industries, ending between 1.69 per cent and 3.65 per cent higher.
- On the other hand, Bharti Infratel, Bharat Petroleum, Infosys, Bharti Airtel and Power Grid - finishing the session with losses between 0.93 per cent and 1.81 per cent - were the top Nifty laggards. HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries and HDFC contributed the most to the gain in Sensex.
- HDFC Bank closed up 1.58 per cent, a day after the mortgage lender reported a 25 per cent rise in deposits for the quarter.
- Analysts said some volatility on account of US-Iran issues cannot be ruled out in the near term.
- "We do not have much clarity again from US-Iran issues, there is still uncertainty staying as a cloud," said Anand James, chief market strategist at Geojit Financial Services.
- Equities in other Asian markets rebounded with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan adding 0.6 per cent, recouping almost all of Monday's losses, and Japan's Nikkei rallying 1.3 per cent.
- Shares had fallen sharply on Monday as Iran and the US traded threats after an US air strike killed a top Iranian commander. The mood calmed a little as the session passed with no new aggression.
- Oil surrendered hefty gains as some speculated Iran would be unlikely to strike against the US in a way that would disrupt supplies, and its own crude exports. Brent crude futures - the global benchmark for crude oil - fell 54 cents to $68.37 a barrel, having been as high as $70.74 on Monday.
- India, the world's third-biggest oil consumer, imports about 80 per cent of its oil needs, making it highly susceptible to crude price swings.
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