Sensex Finishes on Higher Note

India's BSE Sensex gained ground to close about 1.1% up at 80,016 on Thursday, halting a four-day losing streak triggered by the Middle East crisis. Investor sentiment improved following reports that Iran may be willing to step away from its nuclear plans. According to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister said in earlier talks with Washington that Tehran could abandon its nuclear ambitions and was prepared to eliminate its uranium stockpiles in exchange for concessions. Still, volatility is set to continue in the coming days. Foreign institutional investor (FII) selling continued, reflecting broader global uncertainty. Among single stocks, Larsen & Toubro, Adani Ports, Reliance Industries and NTPC led the gains, each rising around 4-5%. Buying also intensified across metals, auto and energy stocks. Conversely, Tech Mahindra (-1.3%), HCL Technologies (-0.7%), Hindustan Unilever (-0.4%) and ICICI Bank (-0.4%) were among the top losers.

The SENSEX Index gained 811 points or 1.03 percent on Thursday to close at 79927 points. Gains were led by Adani Ports (3.82%), Larsen & Toubro (3.72%) and NTPC (3.25%).

India’s BSE Sensex edged up around 0.3% up at 79,381 on Thursday morning trade, bouncing back from a four-day losing streak as most sectors moved into positive territory, except for technology, consumer non-durables and commercial services, which posted modest declines. The index rose, tracking a rebound across Asian markets after several days of sharp sell-offs, as gains on Wall Street lifted investor sentiment. Last Wednesday’s HSBC final PMI data showed the composite PMI rising to 58.9 in February from 58.4, while the services PMI slipped to 58.1 from 58.5. Despite downward revisions, both still pointed to strong sector growth. However, markets may remain volatile amid rising crude oil prices, continued foreign institutional investor (FII) selling, escalating US-Iran geopolitical tensions, and broader global uncertainty. Among the early gainers were Jindal Drilling and Industries (+8.9%), Tata Investment (+6.2%), Chennai Petroleum (+4.8%), and GE Vernova T&D (+4%).