Market Wrap, March 18: SENSEX zooms 1,131 points, NIFTY50 settles above 22,800 level; broader market dazzles too

The Indian stock market on Tuesday, March 18, rallied 1.5% amid outperformance by the broader market and heavy buying in the metal and financial sectors. The market sentiment was also boosted by the positive global cues.

Both SENSEX and NIFTY50 closed at their one-month high. The 50-share NIFTY 50 index crossed the 22,800-mark for the first time since February 21, 2025. BSE SENSEX also settled above the 75,000 level.

At close, the S&P BSE SENSEX settled at 75,301.26, soaring 1,131.31 points, or 1.53%, while the NSE's NIFTY50 index closed 325.55 points, or 1.45%, higher at the 22,834.30 level.

The market sentiment remained in favour of bulls as the 2,288 scrips advanced out of 3,016 stocks traded on NSE.

Meanwhile, both the midcap and smallcap indices gained almost 2.8% at the end of the session. All the sectoral gauges settled with gains on Tuesday.

Further, the investors are waiting for the US Fed interest rate decision and tariff-related developments.

Globally, Asian markets traded higher on Tuesday from stronger retail sales data from China on Monday, as well as from a series of steps aimed at revitalising domestic consumption in the world's second-largest economy.

Taking cues from the buoyant Wall Street gains, Hong Kong shares hit a three-year peak, while Japan's Nikkei bounced 1.19%, putting it on course for its sharpest rise in three weeks.

The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.11% to 3,429.76, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index advanced 2.40% to 24,740.57. Japan's Nikkei index gained 1.19% at 37,845.42 on Tuesday.

The US markets climbed nearly 4% from the recent lows, as softer-than-expected inflation data and higher sales data gave some respite to recession fears. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 closed 0.85% and 0.64% higher, and the NASDAQ closed 0.31% higher on Monday.

As many as 3,016 stocks traded on the NSE on Tuesday. Out of this, 2,288 advanced, and only 646 stocks declined, while 82 scrips remained unchanged.

A total of 30 stocks hit their 52-week highs, while 220 stocks touched their one-year lows. Besides, 153 stocks hit their upper circuit limits, and 220 touched their lower circuit bands on Tuesday.

At the end of the session, the volatility index India VIX stood at 13.21 levels, falling 1.52%.

The m-cap of BSE-listed companies increased by ₹7.06 lakh crore from ₹392.80 lakh crore registered on Monday, March 17, to ₹399.86 lakh crore.

The broader market outperformed the main equity benchmark indices on Tuesday. The Nifty Midcap 100 soared 2.18% higher to settle at the 49,516.90 level, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 advanced 2.71% to the 15,374.70 level.

All the sectoral gauges ended in positive green, with Nifty Media (3.62%), Nifty Realty (3.16%), Nifty Midsmall Financial Services (3.14%), Nifty Consumer Durables (2.62%) and Nifty Auto (2.38%) being the top gainers. However, Nifty Metal and Nifty PSU Bank also contributed to the 50-share index, rising 2.13% and 2.29%, respectively.

As many as 47 stocks on the NIFTY50 index traded positive, while only 3 closed in red. The biggest contributors on the index were ICICI Bank, Larsen and Toubro (L&T), Shriram Finance, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) and Tata Motors, climbing as much as 3.35%.

On the flip side, Bajaj Finserv, Tech Mahindra and Bharti Airtel were the only losers, declining as much as 1.34% on the 50-share index.

This price adjustment is being undertaken to partially offset the impact of rising input costs. The extent of the hike will vary depending on the model and variant, Tata Motors said in a statement. The company, however, did not elaborate on the quantum of the proposed price hike.

Intraday, the stock rose as much as 14.6% to ₹53.8 apiece on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). At close, it was settled at ₹52.97 per share, jumping 12.87%.

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