Markets close in green despite oil price surge, geopolitical tensions

NEW DELHI: Indian equity markets finished Monday’s session on a positive note, as both benchmark indices managed to close in the green despite significant volatility in global energy prices and shifting geopolitical dynamics.

The BSE Sensex finished the day at 77,303.63 points, marking an increase of 639.42 points, or 0.83 per cent. The NSE Nifty 50 ended at 24,092.70 points, gaining 194.75 points, or 0.81 per cent, by the closing bell. Most stocks in the 50-stock index traded in positive territory, helping the market recover from a sharp correction seen over the previous three to four sessions.

In the commodities market, international benchmark Brent crude showed a significant gain, trading at USD 107.87 per barrel with an increase of 2.42 per cent. Crude Oil followed a similar upward trend, priced at USD 96.37 after a rise of 2.09 per cent. Conversely, gold prices experienced a marginal dip, trading at USD 4,705.91 with a slight loss of 0.07 per cent.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited stood at Rs 1,731.00, up by Rs 110.60 or 6.83 per cent, while Jio Financial Services stood at Rs 254.60, up by Rs 8.87 or 3.61 per cent. On the other hand, Shriram Finance Limited stood at Rs 974.00, down by Rs 37.30 or (-3.69%), along with Axis Bank Limited, which finished at Rs 1,325.40, down by Rs 40.50 or (-2.97%).

This morning, the Indian stock market opened higher, looking past an elevation in Brent crude prices and taking cues from gains in Asian peers, even as US-Iran peace talks came to an abrupt halt after President Donald Trump cancelled a scheduled meeting with Tehran’s delegation in Pakistan.

The Nifty 50 opened 0.5 per cent higher at 24035.35 points, and the BSE Sensex edged up 398 points to 77062 points. Healthy gains were seen across all sectoral indices, with Nifty IT and Nifty Metal leading the gainers.

Despite a positive sentiment in the market, One97 Communications Ltd. (Paytm) fell nearly 7 per cent in early trade after the Reserve Bank of India on Friday cancelled the banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank, prohibiting it from carrying out any banking business and setting in motion the process for winding up. It closed at Rs 1,137.80, falling by Rs 9.55 or (-0.83%).

The upbeat start mirrored Asian markets, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 adding 1.4 per cent to hit a record high and South Korea’s Kospi jumping 1.83 per cent to scale a new peak. China’s CSI 300 gained 0.25 per cent after industrial profits jumped 15.8 per cent year-on-year in March, accelerating from 15.2 per cent in the first two months. In contrast, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.54 per cent, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.17 per cent.

International benchmark Brent crude rose more than 2 per cent to USD 107.49 per barrel by 7:35 p.m. ET, while US crude gained 1.79 per cent to USD 96.19, driven by heightened geopolitical uncertainty after Trump called off talks in Islamabad. However, the US President later signalled that the conflict could be nearing an end, saying mounting military and economic pressure had left Tehran in a weakened position. (ANI)