Stock Market News Today Live Updates: Nifty Opens Above 24,600, Sensex Up 500 Points; Coal India, RIL Top Performers

• Long build-up: National Aluminium (NATIONALUM), Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MAZDOCK)
• Short covering: ONGC, Bharat Dynamics (BDL)
• Long unwinding: Bosch, Godrej Consumer Products (GODREJCP)
• Short build-up: TCS, Swiggy

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• Tata Steel said it will invest Rs 11,000 crore in Jharkhand.
• The company said the investment will be for advanced grade steel.
• Tata Steel said it will also undertake various capex projects to improve operational efficiency, as per an exchange filing.

• Omnitech Engineering settled at Rs 202 on NSE versus an issue price of Rs 227, a discount of about 11%.
• On BSE, the stock settled at Rs 205 versus an issue price of Rs 227, a discount of about 10%.

• Motilal Oswal said the Nifty put/call ratio fell to 0.95 from 0.99, with options positions concentrated around 24,000–25,000 strikes.
• The note said option data indicates a broader 23,800–25,000 zone, with an immediate range of 24,200–24,700.
• It also said FIIs were net sellers of Rs 8,292 crore in cash, while DIIs were net buyers of Rs 11,239 crore; the FII index long-short ratio fell to 13.69%.

• BSE shares rose as much as 3.2% on Thursday to Rs 2,710, snapping a three-day losing streak.
• The exchange said on Wednesday it has received SEBI approval to launch new derivative contracts on the Sensex Next 30 index.

• Ruby Mills shares rose as much as 12% on Thursday to Rs 232.90.
• The stock had closed at the 20% upper circuit on Wednesday.
• The company has informed exchanges that an EGM is scheduled for March 26.

• Ramky Infrastructure shares rose as much as 12.5% to Rs 484.45.
• The company said it has secured an EPC order worth Rs 1,402 crore from Maharashtra Industrial Township Ltd (MITL).
• The order is for infrastructure works at the Dighi Port Industrial Area in Maharashtra.

• Sensex rose as much as 0.6%, or 500 points, to 79,615 at the open.
• Nifty gained as much as 0.6% to 24,631 in early trade.

• Nifty traded above 24,600 in pre-market indications.
• Sensex was up about 300 points in pre-market trade.

• The Indian rupee strengthened at the open against the US dollar.
• The currency rose as much as 0.6%, or 59 paise, to 91.55 per US dollar.

• FADA reported total vehicle retail of 24,09,362 units in February 2026, up 25.62% from a year earlier.
• Two-wheelers rose 25.02% to 17,00,505 units, while passenger vehicles increased 26.12% to 3,94,768 units.
• Commercial vehicles grew 28.89% to 1,00,820 units and tractors rose 36.35% to 89,418 units, while construction equipment slipped 1.22% to 6,721 units.

• Ramky Infrastructure said it has secured an EPC order worth Rs 1,402 crore from Maharashtra Industrial Township Ltd (MITL).
• The order is for infrastructure works at the Dighi Port Industrial Area in Maharashtra.
• The stock may be in focus today following the order win announcement.

• Citi maintained a Neutral rating on Coal India with a target price of Rs 430, and placed the stock on an Upside 90-Day Catalyst Watch.
• Citi said higher international coal prices could lift Coal India’s e-auction realisations, and noted global coal prices are up 22% year-to-date.
• Citi estimated import parity levels imply e-auction prices could move towards Rs 3,000 per tonne versus about Rs 2,435 per tonne in the December quarter, and said each Rs 100 per tonne increase in e-auction prices could raise earnings per share by about 2%.

• JPMorgan initiated coverage on Adani Ports with an Overweight rating and a target price of Rs 1,944, and on JSW Infrastructure with an Overweight rating and a target price of Rs 310.
• The brokerage cited trade growth and policy support, along with high entry barriers and pricing power, as key factors supporting the ports sector.
• JPMorgan also pointed to efficiency gains and a modal shift as potential drivers, and said Adani Ports’ scale and diversification, and JSW Infra’s execution track record, underpin their growth case.

• Jefferies maintained its Hold rating on Biocon and kept its target price at Rs 360 after meeting the company’s management.
• The brokerage said the Biocon Group has reduced debt, strengthened its balance sheet, and completed most major capex and infrastructure investments.
• Jefferies flagged a pipeline in biosimilars, insulins, GLPs and complex generics, and said the group is focused on improving Ebitda margins and free cash flow generation while addressing competition in biosimilars through vertically integrated operations and global scale.

UBS said a 4% depreciation in the rupee could translate into a 12% to 21% uplift in earnings per share across IT companies, assuming other factors remain unchanged.

• It added that a 13% depreciation in the rupee could drive a larger 30% to 45% uplift in earnings per share on the same assumption.

• Oil prices rose on Thursday amid concern over the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is restricting Middle East oil and gas flows.
• Brent crude traded up $1.67, or 2.05%, at $83.07 a barrel.
• WTI crude rose $1.94, or 2.60%, to $76.60 a barrel.

• Sensex expiry is scheduled for today.
• FADA is set to release February retail sales data.
• Corporate actions due today include Fractal Analytics’ Q3 earnings and the IPO listing of Omnitech Engineering.
• Share lock-in expiries are lined up for Vikran Engineering, Urban Company and Bazaar Style.

• Goldman Sachs said crude could rise to $100 a barrel if exports through the Strait of Hormuz stay restricted for several more weeks, citing a note to clients dated Wednesday.
• Its base case assumes flows hold at about 15% of normal levels for five more days, then recover gradually over a month.
• Goldman raised its Q2 2026 average forecasts to $76 a barrel for Brent and $71 for WTI, citing lower Hormuz flows, falling OECD inventories and reduced Middle East output in March.

• Hariprasad K, SEBI-registered Research Analyst and Founder of Livelong Wealth, said optimism in GIFT Nifty follows a rebound in major global indices amid hopes of de-escalation in Middle East tensions.
• He said risk appetite has improved across global assets.
• He added that Bitcoin moved above $73,000 as investors positioned it as “digital gold” alongside gold and silver, which he said signals stabilising risk sentiment after recent geopolitical concerns.

• Indian benchmarks fell for a fourth session, their longest losing run since January, as a global selloff played out amid the Middle East crisis.
• The Sensex closed near 79,100, down over 1,100 points, while the Nifty 50 fell 1.5% to finish below 24,500.
• Both indices cut nearly half their day’s losses after a weaker start, with gains in Bharti Airtel and Infosys helping the recovery.

• South Korea’s Kospi rose more than 12% on Thursday, rebounding from the previous session’s drop and tracking its strongest day.
• The South Korean won strengthened 0.14% against the dollar to 1,460.60.
• Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 4%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures traded at 25,534 versus the prior close of 25,249.48.

• GIFT Nifty rose to 24,748 in early trade.
• The move signals that the Nifty 50 may open higher at the start of the session.