Dalal Street Rallies As India-Pakistan Ceasefire Boosts Investor Sentiment

Indian equity markets surged on Monday morning, buoyed by improved investor sentiment following a significant de-escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan.

This development, combined with encouraging signals from the ongoing US-China trade negotiations, lifting the benchmark indices nearly 3%.

The BSE Sensex jumped 3.73%, or nearly 2,900 points intraday to reach 82,419.17, and closed 2,923.39 points or 3.68% higher. Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty closed 3.78% or 907.50 points higher at 24,915.50 after it climbed 3.84% intraday to touch 24.930, breaking out of the narrow trading range it had been confined to over the previous week.

Both the benchmarks touched their highest levels and their highest closing since October. The Nifty 50 recorded the best intraday gain since Feb. 2, 2021, while for Sensex it's the best intraday gain since June 5, 2024.

Except for the Nifty Pharma index, all sectoral indices advanced during the open. The pharma index buckled under pressure after US President Donald Trump stated that the US would significantly slash pharmaceutical prices, aiming to bring them among the lowest globally. As Indian pharmaceutical firms are major exporters of generic drugs to the US, such a move could negatively impact their revenues.

However, while closing the trading session, all the sectors ended positively.

The Nifty PSU Bank index climbed over 3%, showing strong buying interest in state-owned lenders. Nifty IT gained 3.74%, while Nifty Auto added 2.47%. Leading the gains was the Nifty Realty index, which surged more than 4% during early trading hours.

Broader markets echoed the upbeat mood, with the Nifty Smallcap 250 and Nifty Midcap 150 both rallying close to 4%.

Among the top performers on the Nifty 50 were Adani Enterprises Ltd., Jio Financial Services Ltd., Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd., Shriram Finance Ltd., and Trent Ltd. Sun Pharmaceutical Ltd. was the only stock in the red.

The two nations reached a mutual agreement on Saturday to halt hostilities across land, air and sea, which provided a shot of confidence to financial markets that had been treading cautiously in recent sessions.

Calm prevailed in the border regions of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, and Rajasthan following the ceasefire. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri urged Pakistan to uphold the commitment seriously and responsibly. He added that Indian armed forces would firmly respond to any future violations along the Line of Control or the international border.

Meanwhile, optimism also came from Washington, where US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced “substantial progress” in trade talks with China. Although details remain confidential, markets interpreted the tone positively.

Global equity markets responded positively to the US-China Trade talk progress. Wall Street futures pointed to gains with Dow futures up 1.03%, S&P 500 futures gaining 1.31%, and Nasdaq futures up 1.71%.

Asian markets opened higher. Japan’s Topix extended its winning streak to 12 sessions—its longest since October 2017—while the US dollar also strengthened amid risk-on sentiment.