Sensex jumps 1.5%; investors earn over ₹7 lakh crore—10 key highlights of Indian stock market today

Extending gains to the second consecutive session, frontline indices the Sensex and the Nifty clocked solid gains on Tuesday, March 18, amid positive global cues. The Sensex surged 1,131 points, or 1.53 per cent, to end at 75,301.26, while the Nifty 50 closed the day with a gain of 326 points, or 1.45 per cent, at 22,834.30.

The BSE Midcap index ended 2.10 per cent higher, while the Smallcap index surged 2.73 per cent.

Investors got richer by about ₹7 lakh crore in a single session as the overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms rose to nearly ₹400 lakh crore from ₹393 lakh crore in the previous session.

Stock market today: 10 key highlights

Here are 10 key highlights of the Indian stock market today:

1. Why did the Indian stock market rise today?

Improving macroeconomic indicators, valuation comfort, a declining dollar index, and expectations of an RBI rate cut in April are key factors behind the market rally.

Positive global cues also influenced sentiment. Major European and Asian peers rose as retail sales data from the US and China boosted investor confidence.

"The national benchmarks witnessed a strong recovery, driven by favourable global trends and domestic tailwinds. Improved retail sales data from the US and China boosted investor confidence," said Vinod Nair, the head of research at Geojit Financial Services.

"The anticipated rebound in domestic earnings, along with a recent decline in the dollar index and lower crude prices, is expected to support this recovery. However, continued FII outflows, driven by higher risk-free rates and the appeal of markets like China and tariff uncertainties, keep investors cautious during this phase," said Nair.

2. Top three Sensex gainers today

Shares of Zomato (up 7.11 per cent), ICICI Bank (up 3.25 per cent) and Mahindra and Mahindra (up 3.07 per cent) ended as the top gainers in the index. In the 30-share pack, 26 stocks settled higher.

3. Only 4 Sensex stocks settle in the red

Shares of Bajaj Finserv (down 1.43 per cent), Bharti Airtel (down 0.69 per cent), Tech Mahindra (down 0.59 per cent) and Reliance (down 0.13 per cent) ended as the losers in the Sensex kitty of stocks.

4. Sectoral indices today

Every major index on the NSE ended with significant gains. Nifty Media and Realty jumped 3.62 per cent and 3.16 per cent, respectively.

Consumer Durables (up 2.62 per cent), Auto (up 2.38 per cent), PSU Bank (up 2.29 per cent) and Metal (up 2.13 per cent) jumped over 2 per cent each.

Nifty Bank, Private Bank and Financial Services indices ended nearly 2 per cent higher each.

5. Most active stocks in terms of volume

Vodafone Idea (30.21 crore shares), Ola Electric Mobility (19 crore shares), Easy Trip Planners (9.6 crore shares), YES Bank (8.23 crore shares) and Zomato (7.92 crore shares) were the most active stocks in terms of volume on the NSE.

6. Some 65 stocks hit 52-week highs

65 stocks, including Kotak Mahindra Bank, SRF, Avanti Feeds, Sarda Energy & Minerals, Coromandel International, Gabriel India and JSW Holdings, hit fresh 52-week highs in intraday trade on the BSE.

7. Nearly 300 stocks at 52-week low

As many as 294 stocks, including AU Small Finance Bank, Balaji Amines, Happiest Minds Technologies and R R Kabel, hit their fresh 52-week lows in intraday trade on the BSE.

8. Stocks that rose over 15% on NSE

Seven stocks- Uttam Sugar Mills (up 20 per cent), One Mobikwik Systems (up 20 per cent), T T Limited (up 19.98 per cent), Sindhu Trade Links (up 19.95 per cent), Gulshan Polyols (up 17.64 per cent), Centum Electronics (up 17.01 per cent) and Talbros Automotive Components (up 15.37 per cent) - rose more than 15 per cent on the NSE on Monday.

9. Stocks that crashed over 6%

NACL Industries (down 10 per cent), Pasupati Acrylon (down 8.30 per cent), Innovana Thinklabs (down 7.60 per cent), TECIL Chemicals and Hydro Power (down 7.07 per cent), Medico Remedies (down 6.31 per cent) and Shivalik Rasayan (down 6.06 per cent) were the six stocks that lost more than 6 per cent on the NSE despite positive market sentiment.

10. Advance-decline ratio

The advance-decline ratio tilted heavily towards the advancers, as some 2,288 stocks advanced while 646 declined on the NSE. This means that for every declining stock, nearly four stocks advanced. Some 82 stocks remained unchanged.

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