Sensex Rallies, Snaps 5-Day Loss: Global Markets Boost

Mumbai, Mar 17 (PTI) Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty bounced back on Monday, closing higher by half a per cent following a sharp rally in global shares and buying in banking stocks.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 341.04 points or 0.46 per cent to settle at 74,169.95, snapping its five-day losing run. In intra-day trade, the benchmark jumped 547.44 points or 0.74 per cent to 74,376.35.

The NSE Nifty rose by 111.55 points or 0.50 per cent to 22,508.75.

From the Sensex pack, Bajaj Finserv, Mahindra & Mahindra, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finance, Adani Ports, ICICI Bank, Zomato and UltraTech Cement were among the biggest gainers.

However, ITC, Nestle, State Bank of India, Reliance Industries, Asian Paints and Tata Consultancy Services were among the laggards.

Shares of IndusInd Bank jumped 5.30 per cent in intra-day trade after the Reserve Bank on Saturday assured customers that the firm remains 'well-capitalised', even as it directed the bank's board to complete remedial action relating to an estimated Rs 2,100 crore accounting discrepancy within this month. The stock finally ended at Rs 676.95, up 0.72 per cent.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong settled in the positive territory. Stock markets in Europe were trading in the green. US markets ended sharply higher on Friday.

"Despite a small hiccup, markets quickly gained ground to trade in positive territory as optimism across global markets aided recovery in local indices. However, with a lot of uncertainty surrounding the impact of US tariff policies on key economies, including India, investors would be watchful of the global events before taking any call," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.

Wholesale price inflation rose marginally to 2.38 per cent in February due to expensive manufactured food items like vegetables oil and beverages, government data released on Monday showed.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 792.90 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data. Domestic stock markets were closed on Friday for Holi.

The total outflow by foreign investors has reached Rs 1.42 lakh crore (USD 16.5 billion) in 2025 so far, data with the depositories showed.

"The market experienced a positive trading session, driven by strong performance in the healthcare and financial sectors. However, lower participation from domestic investors due to tariff-related uncertainties may cause the market to fluctuate within a range in the near term," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services, said.

A decisive momentum will depend on signs of earnings growth, while improving domestic economic indicators suggest a potential recovery, he said.

"Investors are closely monitoring the upcoming FED and BOJ meetings, with expectations leaning towards maintaining the current stance due to inflation risks associated with tariff uncertainties," Nair added.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude jumped 1.06 per cent to USD 71.33 a barrel.

On Thursday, the Sensex declined by 200.85 points or 0.27 per cent to settle at 73,828.91. The Nifty fell 73.30 points or 0.33 per cent to settle at 22,397.20.