Sensex Closes 899 Points Higher at 76,348, Nifty Above 23,150

Market Closing Highlights

20 March, 2025 / 3:30 PM

On Thursday, March 20, 2025, the Indian stock markets experienced a strong rally for the fourth consecutive session. Both the Sensex and Nifty 50 closed significantly higher, driven by positive global cues following the US Federal Reserve's decision to maintain its rate-cut projections. The Nifty closed above 23,100 for the first time in 26 sessions, specifically at 23,190.65, gaining 283.03 points. The BSE Sensex ended the day 899 points higher at 76,348.06 as market hours ended for the day.

Factors Driving the Market Surge

The market's upbeat mood was largely attributed to the Federal Reserve upholding its projection of two quarter-percentage-point rate cuts by the end of the year. This dovish stance from the Fed boosted market sentiment. Additionally, Asian stocks climbed after a rally on Wall Street, further lifting Indian equities. Information technology (IT) stocks, which derive a significant portion of their revenue from the U.S., were leading the rally, gaining 1.3%. Falling U.S. bond yields and a weaker dollar also attracted foreign inflows, contributing to the market rise.

Sectoral Performance

All sectoral indices ended in the green. Top gainers in the Nifty 50 included Bharti Airtel and Titan, both up by 4%. Other significant gainers were Britannia, BPCL, and Bajaj Auto. The Nifty IT index rebounded by 2%, with strong buying in key stocks. The Nifty Auto sector was also trading in the green.

Global Market Influences.

Global markets showed a positive trend, with Asian stocks climbing after Wall Street's rally. The S&P 500 futures rose by 0.4%, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 increased by 0.8%. Wall Street ended strongly as major US indices recovered, with the S&P 500 rising over a percent, the Dow Jones gaining nearly a percent, and the Nasdaq Composite climbing over a percent and a half. China, however, kept its benchmark lending rates unchanged. The Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates steady was a key factor influencing global market sentiment.

Key Stock Movements

Several individual stocks experienced significant movements. Tata Communications' stock was up nearly 3% following the launch of Tata Communications Vayu. NHPC shares surged 2% after its board approved a ₹6,300-crore borrowing plan. GRSE shares rallied 6% after signing an MoU with Nagaland PWD for modular steel bridges. IREDA shares rose by 1.9% as the company planned to raise ₹1,247 crore via perpetual bonds. IndiGo shares rallied 8% in two days, hitting a new all-time high after unveiling its FY30 roadmap. In contrast, KEI Industries shares slumped 14% as Adani Group entered the cables and wires market. Polycab and Havells also saw their shares drop. NCC shares jumped 6% on securing a ₹2,130 crore infrastructure contract in Amaravati. Transrail Lighting shares rallied 3% on bagging orders worth ₹1,647 crore. Wipro shares surged 3% after launching Agentic AI services.

Other Notable Developments

Adani Group was in advanced talks to acquire Emaar India for $1.4-1.5 billion. India VIX was down by 5%. Gold prices reached a new peak, nearing ₹ 90,000 per 10 grams, after the US Fed kept interest rates unchanged. Silver futures also opened higher. The Russian rouble corrected after a rally. The Indian rupee surged to a near two-month high. RBI appointed Indranil Bhattacharyya as the new executive director. PTC India divested its entire stake in PTC Energy to ONGC Green. Paytm stock tumbled 5% after the approval of a ₹1,500 crore incentive for low-value UPI transactions. Copper surged past $10,000 per ton following tariff threats. The Federal Reserve announced it would slow its balance sheet runoff process starting next month.

Market Sentiment and Outlook

The advance-decline ratio was in favor of buyers. Citi Research maintained its Nifty 50 target of 26,000 for the end of 2025, citing improving growth and earnings outlook. Short-term technical indicators suggested a potential further rally in mid-cap and small-cap stocks, although caution remained regarding the sustainability of the recovery. Analysts noted that the Fed's policy could move either way depending on the evolving outlook, which remains uncertain due to tariff policies.

Market Overview

March 20, 2025 / 12:30 PM

The BSE Sensex surged by 540 points, reaching 75,865.57 points, while the NSE Nifty 50 increased by 141.7 points to 23,050. ​On Thursday, March 20, 2025, the Indian stock market exhibited a positive trend at the opening, with both the Sensex and Nifty indices trading in the green. This optimistic start was attributed to positive cues from Asian markets and a strong overnight recovery on Wall Street, which followed the US Federal Reserve's decision to maintain interest rates.

Midday Top Gainers in Nifty 50

The top gainers in the Nifty 50 were Bharti Airtel, M&M, TCS, HCL Tech, and Eicher Motors. Earlier, at 11:23 (IST), it was highlighted that Bharti Airtel was the top gainer, with its shares trading 2.15% higher in intraday trading. The stock had also gained nearly 5% year-to-date.

Midday Top Losers in Nifty 50

The top losers in the Nifty 50 were Bajaj Finance, Trent, Apollo Hospital, L&T, and Tata Steel. 

Market Breadth on NSE Indices

• NIFTY 50: 38 advances and 12 declines
• NIFTY NEXT 50: 33 advances and 17 declines
• NIFTY MIDCAP SELECT: 18 advances and 7 declines
• NIFTY BANK: 10 advances and 2 declines
• NIFTY FINANCIAL SERVICES: 12 advances and 8 declines

This data indicates that, at that particular time, the number of advancing stocks outweighed the declining stocks across these major NSE indices.

Market Open Updates

March 20 ,2025 / 9:30 AM

Indian benchmark indices BSE Sensex and Nifty50 opened on a positive note on Thursday amid encouraging global cues after the US Federal Reserve opted to maintain its current interest rates over economic growth concerns, with the BSE Sensex rising by 358 points (0.47%) to 75,807 and the Nifty50 gaining 91 points (0.4%) to reach 22,999 at the opening bell.

Factors Influencing Market Sentiment

• Federal Reserve maintains current rates amid policy changes: The Federal Reserve decided to maintain its current interest rate range of 4.25% – 4.50% during its second policy meeting of 2025. This decision is notable as it represents the first significant monetary policy move since Donald Trump resumed his role in the White House in January.
• China opts to keep rates steady: China's central bank opted to keep its key lending rates unchanged. The People’s Bank of China maintained the one-year loan prime rate at 3.1% and the five-year LPR at 3.6%, following the last adjustment in October, reflecting a careful strategy to balance economic growth with currency stability.
• Wall Street closes with strong performance: On Wall Street, the markets ended the day on an optimistic note. The S&P 500 rebounded, climbing over one percent to finish at 5,675.29 after a brief dip into correction territory. Similarly, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by nearly one percent, closing at 41,964.63, while the Nasdaq Composite led the gains with an increase of more than one and a half percent, settling at 17,750.79.

Global Backdrop:

• US Dollar: The US Dollar Index (DXY)—which measures the dollar against a basket of six key foreign currencies—was recorded at 103.41 on Thursday morning. This index serves as an indicator of the dollar’s strength relative to major currencies, including the British Pound, Euro, Swedish Krona, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, among others. The Indian rupee closed at 86.43 against the US dollar on March 19.

• Crude Oil: Crude oil prices saw a slight increase on Thursday morning, with WTI crude climbing 0.4% to $67.19 per barrel and Brent crude rising 0.42% to $71.03 per barrel.

• Gold Update Today: Gold has reached a new all-time high amid signals from policymakers of slower growth and persistent inflation, following their decision to keep interest rates unchanged for the second meeting in a row on Wednesday, March 19. In India, gold prices remained robust on March 20, with 24-carat gold trading at Rs 90,045 per 10 grams. Meanwhile, 22-carat gold is priced at Rs 82,910 per 10 grams, based on data from Goodreturns, and 18-carat gold is available for Rs 67,840 per 10 grams.

Stocks in Focus:

• Adani Enterprises: Through its subsidiary KCL, formed a 50:50 joint venture with Praneetha Ventures to launch Praneetha Ecocables Limited, focusing on metal products, cables, and wires.
• Wipro: Launched Agentic AI services powered by NVIDIA AI Enterprise software to help countries deploy AI solutions while ensuring data sovereignty.
• Hyundai Motor India: Announced a price increase of up to 3% across all models, effective April 2025, due to rising input and operational costs.
• Trent: Booker India Limited acquired 100% equity in THPL Support Services Limited from Trent Hypermarket for ₹166.36 crore.
• UltraTech Cement: Expanded production capacity by 1.2 MTPA through operational optimization and debottlenecking.
• Dhanlaxmi Bank: Plans to raise up to ₹150 crore via unsecured non-convertible debentures, with each bond valued at ₹1 crore over a 10-year tenure.
• Mishra Dhatu Nigam: Declared an interim dividend of ₹0.75 per share (7.5% of face value) with a record date of March 25, 2025.
• Avenue Supermarts: Invested ₹175 crore in its subsidiary Avenue E-Commerce (AEL) by subscribing to 46,778,000 equity shares at ₹37.41 each.
• NHPC: Approved a borrowing plan to raise up to ₹6,300 crore in FY 2025-26 through non-convertible corporate bonds via private placement.
• CEAT: Focusing on expanding its presence in the premium ultra-high-performance and luxury four-wheeler tyre segment over the next 3–5 years.

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