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Indian equity benchmarks ended higher on Tuesday, recouping most of Monday's losses. The BSE Sensex rose 1.9% or over 1,370 points to close above 74,000 and the NSE Nifty 50 advanced 1.8% to settle above 22,900. The gains in the benchmark Indices were led by HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and L&T.
All the 15 sectoral gauges compiled by the NSE advanced, led by the NSE Nifty Auto Index's 2.4% rally.
Meanwhile, Brent crude futures for May delivery rose 2.4% to $102.31 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate futures for May delivery gained nearly 3.6% to $91.27 a barrel as of 3:30 pm IST. Elsewhere around the world, US stock futures edged lower, S&P 500 futures were down 0.1% in trade. Nasdaq 100 futures were flat and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 0.2%
The broader market outperformed the benchmarks. Nifty SmallCap 250 rose over 2%, led by BLS International and Alkyl Amines Chemicals, with BLS International up over 14%. Nifty MidCap 150 also gained over 2%, with Linde India and Vishal Mega Mart rising over 7%.
All Nifty sectoral indices ended in the green. Nifty Media was the top-performing sector, up over 3%, and snapped a three-day losing streak. Prime Focus and TIPS Music led the gains in the index, with Prime Focus up over 9%.
Nifty Auto rose over 2.5%, led by Motherson and UNO Minda, both up over 3.5%. Nifty Bank, Nifty Fin Service, Nifty Defence and Nifty Realty also snapped their three-day losing streaks.
All 15 NSE sectoral indices ended in the green. The Nifty Auto index was the top gainer, rising 2.4%.
The IPO includes a fresh issue of shares worth up to Rs 8,000 crore.
The offer also includes an offer for sale of 4.32 crore shares.
The company plans to invest Rs 900 crore to expand downstream capacities.
Jindal Stainless also said it has commissioned a 1.2 MTPA steel melt shop facility in Indonesia, taking total melting capacity to 4.2 MTPA.
The demand amount includes interest and penalty.
Maruti Suzuki has approved the first phase of capacity addition at its Gujarat unit.
The expansion will add production capacity of 2,50,000 vehicles per annum.
The investment for the capacity addition is Rs 10,189 crore, according to an exchange filing.
Cash-settled contracts are emerging as the preferred route for FPI participation, as physical delivery contracts pose storage, warehousing and logistics issues for foreign investors.
The proposal is being discussed by SEBI’s Commodity Derivatives Advisory Committee as part of efforts to improve participation and liquidity. Agricultural commodity derivatives may be taken up later, while the regulator remains focused on limiting volatility and protecting retail investors.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 1.43% higher at 52,252.28, while the Topix added 2.1% to end at 3,559.67.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.16% to 8,379.4. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 2.39%, while China’s CSI 300 gained 1.28% to close at 4,474.72.
The index is down 22.8% so far this year.
This marks its weakest start to a year since 2020.
The government has called an all-party meeting on the West Asia crisis for March 25 at 5 p.m., according to a report by ANI.
In a post on X, Kedia said retail investors have held the market together despite FII exits and said policy support should carry that confidence forward.
Kedia’s post quoted Mohandas Pai, who said continuous FPI selling and geopolitical tension are hurting the market and urged regulators to allow listed companies to resume open market buybacks.
Retail investors have quietly held the market together despite FII exits. Policy should now carry their confidence forward.
— Vijay Kedia (@VijayKedia1) March 24, 2026
After all, markets don’t fall only when people sell, but when no one is willing to buy. Open market buybacks can help bridge that gap. @SEBI_India… https://t.co/kwKtWPdLp2
WeWork India has signed a lease deed to expand its capacity in Bengaluru. The company plans to add 81,166 square feet of office space and will invest Rs 31 crore to set up 1,256 additional desks in the city.
Source: Exchange filing
He said the mixed signals from global leaders make it hard to judge whether the conflict is nearing a pause, and added that sentiment among global chief executives has shifted in recent days.
Sorrell said a short disruption could still weigh on global growth and keep inflation and interest rates higher. He also flagged energy supply routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, as a key risk for the global economy.
Spot gold has now dropped 20% from its high of $5,594.82 an ounce clocked on Jan. 29, 2026.
Silver also moved lower. Spot silver fell more than 0.4% to $63.49 an ounce, while silver futures were trading at $69.59
Nifty gained as much as 2.3% to 23,026, extending the rally in benchmark indices.
Sensex also gained as much as 1,554 points, or 2.1%, to 74,250.
The move pushed both benchmark indices close to key levels after the rebound in the session.
L&T and Infosys followed, contributing 30.45 and 30.2 respectively.
ICICI Bank and Reliance Industries were also among the top contributors, with 17.19 and 16.17 respectively.
In intraday trade, Nifty rose as much as 1.9%, or 424 points.
Sensex also extended gains and climbed as much as 2.1%, or 1,516 points, to 74,212.47.
The issue will have a base size of Rs 3,000 crore.
The bond issue will also include a greenshoe option of Rs 4,500 crore.
Amazon said its AWS region in Bahrain has been disrupted amid the conflict in the Middle East, according to a report by Reuters.
The company said the disruption is linked to drone activity in the area, Reuters reported.
Amazon said this is the second time in a month that its operations have been affected by the war. Reuters first reported the disruption, while AWS had not updated its status page on the impact as of Monday night, the report added.
Balkrishna Industries has issued non-convertible debentures worth Rs 750 crore on a private placement basis, according to an exchange filing.
India's public-sector banks have the potential to outperform private peers in the coming 12 months, according to Vikas Khemani, founder of Carnelian Asset Advisors. Private banks are currently struggling with elevated credit‑deposit ratios, while PSU lenders have stronger balance sheets and better deposit mobilisation, he told NDTV Profit in a televised interview on Tuesday.
Amid the sharp market correction since the start of the year, PSU banks have managed to hold off steep declines. The NSE Nifty PSU Bank index is down 1.4% year-to-date, compared to a 13% fall in the benchmark Nifty 50 and nearly 15% drop in Nifty Private Bank.
As geopolitical tensions keep markets on edge, Equity Intelligence founder Porinju Veliyath believes investors should shift focus away from trying to predict outcomes and instead look for selective opportunities. Speaking to NDTV Profit, Veliyath noted that markets have historically rebounded after crises-from financial meltdowns to the COVID-19 pandemic-but the timing of such recoveries is impossible to predict.
"These events always look clear in hindsight, but nobody knows when they end," he said, adding that conflicts often fade gradually rather than conclude decisively. For investors, that uncertainty should not drive decision-making.
The Nifty IT index led the move with a 1.96% rise.
Nifty Media, Nifty Bank and Nifty PSU Bank were also among the stronger sectoral gainers.
Tube Investments of India and Central Depository Services (India) saw short covering.
Manappuram Finance and Waaree Energies saw long unwinding.
Coal India and Power Grid Corporation of India saw short build-up.
He said most of India’s macro indicators remain supportive and that the country is placed to deal with uncertainty.
Veliyath said market valuations are not cheap at present, but sees buying opportunities for long-term investors. He also said India’s oil imports are now below 3% of GDP.
The services PMI also eased to 57.2 from 58.1 month-on-month, showing continued expansion at a slower pace.
The March readings point to a slowdown in overall business activity, with manufacturing seeing the sharper moderation.
The bank said the process is meant to ensure an objective and fact-based assessment.
HDFC Bank added that the move is in line with its practice of maintaining governance standards over the years.
The ministry also said there is no reported dry-out at LPG distributorships and that deliveries are continuing through the delivery authentication code system.
TTK Prestige fell 3.80%, Stove Kraft declined 3.02%, and Butterfly Gandhimathi was down 2.53%.
E-bus and auto stocks moved higher after the update. JBM Auto rose 8.84%, Olectra Green gained 7.13%, and Ashok Leyland was up 1.38%.
Khemani said supply chain disruptions could affect earnings in Q4FY26 and Q1FY27.
He said banks could recover quickly after the war and added that PSU banks have valuation comfort. He also said India’s macro position is stronger than that of many other countries.
Brent crude rebounded and gained as much as 4.3% to $104.29 a barrel.
Kalpataru Projects International rose as much as 5.4% to Rs 1,073 after the company announced new orders worth Rs 4,439 crore in its transmission and distribution business.
The order wins include a 400 kV transmission line project in Africa, transmission line projects in India, and a substation project in Sweden
The bank said it has appointed external law firms to carry out a review of the resignation of part-time chairman and independent director Atanu Chakraborty, according to an exchange filing.
Chakraborty, who joined HDFC Bank in 2021, resigned last week and cited ethical differences with the way the bank operates. The stock had fallen nearly 12% since the announcement before Tuesday’s market open.
Two Indian-flag LPG carriers, Jag Vasant and Pine Gas, are carrying 92,612.59 MT of LPG, according to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Gold has rebounded more than 7% from its lows after the ceasefire talks, but it is still down more than 25% from its record high.
Gold is down nearly 15% in March and is set to post its first monthly decline after 14 straight months of gains.
The board cleared a conflict-of-interest framework for SEBI board members and officials. The changes include tighter disclosure rules, trading curbs, recusal norms, a digital system to track conflicts, and an Office of Ethics and Compliance.
Foreign portfolio investors will be allowed to settle funds on a net basis for outright cash market trades. The move is expected to reduce fund blockage, especially on index rebalancing days.
SEBI approved measures to ease operating rules for REITs and InvITs. These include flexibility for InvITs to continue holding certain SPV investments after project completion, a wider set of liquid mutual fund options, limited greenfield exposure for privately listed InvITs, and more borrowing flexibility in some cases.
The regulator has revised the fit-and-proper criteria for intermediaries. The filing of an FIR or chargesheet alone will not lead to automatic disqualification, while convictions for economic offences will be covered under tighter norms.
SEBI has cut the minimum investment amount for social impact funds to Rs 1,000 from Rs 2 lakh to widen participation.
The board also allowed more flexibility for AIFs in winding up schemes and surrendering registration. It introduced an inoperative fund category with lower compliance requirements for funds that are no longer actively managing investments.
UBS maintained its Buy rating on ITC with a target price of Rs 395. It said ITC’s pricing strategy across key variants should help protect volumes and limit the impact on demand.
UBS added that the company could perform better than bearish consensus expectations for FY27.
Morgan Stanley maintained its Underweight rating on Asian Paints with a target price of Rs 2126. Dealer checks showed a 6-8% price increase is likely in two parts, with a steeper rise in thinner prices.
Morgan Stanley said paint demand remains weak across markets, with slow retail sales, higher discounts and stronger competition. It added that Berger has raised prices on some solvent-based products and Asian Paints continues to offer dealer and painter incentives to regain retail share, especially in western markets.
Shares of Ivalue Infosolution and GK Energy are on the watchlist due to lock-in expiry.
Epack Durable and LG Electronics are on the watchlist after a tax demand.
Balkrishna Industries plans to raise Rs 750 crore. The fund raise will be through non-convertible debentures.
GOCL Corp is on the watchlist after a Bengaluru land monetisation transaction worth Rs 2261 crore.
Promoter buying has put Electrosteel Castings and HCL Tech in focus.
The government plans to deploy 10,000 air-conditioned electric buses by 2030 and Olectra Greentech, JBM Auto and Ashok Leyland are on the watchlist on the update.
Brent crude has fallen below $100 a barrel. The move puts oil marketing companies and Reliance Industries, IOCL, BPCL and HPCL on the watchlist.
Japan’s consumer price index dropped to 1.3% last month, its lowest level since March 2022.
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