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Informist, Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

 

By Gopika Balasubramanium

 

MUMBAI – Benchmark equity indices extended gains for the third session Wednesday, buoyed by gains in shares of information technology companies and select automobile makers. With this, the index has gained in three consecutive sessions for the first time since the West Asia conflict began. Analysts had said that investors would want to add stocks to their portfolios at cheaper valuations, given the recent correction spurred by the ongoing military conflict in West Asia and worries about higher crude oil prices. Broader market indices outperformed their benchmark peers. 

 

"Since we have fallen very sharply around 2000 points, this rise in indices is normal and any sustained gains would be confirmed only when we scale back pre-war levels," Narendra Solanki, head of research at Anand Rathi Share and Stock Brokers, said. "Looking at the current situation, especially around availability and pricing of the crude oil, it is still a concern for the market (participants)," Solanki said. This run-up in crude oil prices poses risks to overall macro stability in the near term and may impact future earnings if prices remain elevated for an extended period, he added.

 

On Wednesday, the Nifty 50 gained 0.8% or 196.65 points to close at 23777.80 points. The index has recovered more than 2% of the losses made after the West Asia crisis began. As of Friday, the index was down 8% from the level before the hostilities began. More than 76% of the total stocks traded on the National Stock Exchange closed higher on Wednesday. Within the Nifty 50 constituents, 38 closed higher on Wednesday. The BSE Sensex closed at 76704.13 points, up 633.29 points, 0.8%.

 

Information technology stocks gained the most, with Nifty IT among the top sectoral gainers. The Nifty IT closed at 29559.30 points, up 2.8%. All the constituents ended higher, with mid-tier companies Coforge and Oracle Financial Services gaining 4.6-5.4%. Global brokerage CLSA holds a positive view on IT stocks due to easing artificial intelligence-led pricing pressure, NDTV Profit reported. The brokerage has also highlighted that the deal pipelines of domestic IT majors remain strong, supporting medium-term revenue visibility.

 

Direct exposure of most IT stocks to West Asia remains low, the broking firm said. "This limits immediate earnings risk, although prolonged tensions could indirectly impact global tech spending cycles," NDTV Profit reported, citing the brokerage. The Nifty IT closed higher Wednesday after ending lower in the previous six sessions, during which the index declined 4.6%.

 

Waaree Energies and Premier Energies topped the Nifty 200 index, ending 10.5% and 7.2% higher, respectively. The shares rose after the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy expanded the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers Order, 2019, to introduce List-III for solar ingots and wafers. The purpose of the list is to encourage the use of domestic products in government-tendered projects, reducing dependency on imports. Waaree Energies hit a three-month high, and Premier Energies rose to a one-month high during the session. 

 

* Of the Nifty 50 stocks, 38 rose and 12 fell

* Of the Sensex stocks, 24 rose and 6 fell

* On the NSE, 2,538 stocks rose, 707 fell, and 83 were unchanged

* On the BSE, 3,202 stocks rose, 1,088 fell, and 142 were unchanged

* Nifty Media: up 3.4%; Nifty IT: up 2.8%; Nifty Metal: down 0.1%

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BSE                                              NSE

Sensex: 76704.13, up 633.29 points or 0.8%       Nifty 50: 23777.80, up 196.65 points or 0.8%

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S&P BSE Sensitive Index	Nifty 50
Lifetime High: 86159.02 (Dec. 1, 2025)	: Lifetime High: 26373.20 (Jan. 5, 2026)
Record Close High: 85836.12 (Sept. 26, 2024)	: Record Close High: 26328.55 (Jan. 2, 2026)
2026 1st day close: 85188.60 (Jan. 1)	: 2026 1st day close: 26146.55 (Jan. 1)
2026 Closing High: 85762.01 (Jan. 2)	: 2026 Closing High: 26328.55 (Jan. 2)
2026 Closing Low: 74563.92 (Mar. 13)	: 2026 Closing Low: 23151.10 (Mar. 13)
2026 High (intraday): 85883.50 (Jan. 5)	: 2026 High (intraday): 26373.20 (Jan. 5)
2026 Low (intraday): 73949.76 (Mar. 16)	: 2026 Low (intraday): 22955.25 (Mar. 16)
2025 1st day close: 78507.41 (Jan. 1)	: 2025 1st day close: 23742.90 (Jan. 1)
2025 Closing High: 85720.38 (Nov. 27)	: 2025 Closing High: 26215.55 (Nov. 27)
2025 Closing Low: 72989.93 (Mar. 4)	: 2025 Closing Low: 22082.65 (Mar. 4)
2025 High (intraday): 86159.02 (Dec. 1)	: 2025 High (intraday): 26325.80 (Dec.1)
2025 Low (intraday): 71425.01 (Apr. 7)	: 2025 Low (intraday): 21743.65 (Apr. 7)
2024 1st day close: 72271.94 (Jan. 1)	: 2024 1st day close: 21741.90 (Jan. 1)
2024 Closing High: 85836.12 (Sept. 26)	: 2024 Closing High: 26216.05 (Sept. 26)
2024 Closing Low: 70370.55 (Jan. 23)	: 2024 Closing Low: 21238.80 (Jan. 23)
2024 High (intraday): 85978.25 (Sep. 27)	: 2024 High (intraday): 26277.35 (Sept. 27)
2024 Low (intraday): 70001.60 (Jan. 24)	: 2024 Low (intraday): 21137.20 (Jan. 24)
2023 1st day close: 61167.79 (Jan. 2)	: 2023 1st day close: 18197.45 (Jan. 2)
2023 Closing High: 72410.38 (Dec. 28)	: 2023 Closing High: 21778.70 (Dec. 28)
2023 Closing Low: 59288.35 (Feb. 27)	: 2023 Closing Low: 17311.80 (Oct. 17)
2023 High (intraday): 72484.34 (Dec. 28)	: 2023 High (intraday): 21801.45 (Dec. 28)
2023 Low (intraday): 58699.20 (Jan. 30)	: 2023 Low (intraday): 17098.55 (Jan. 17)
2022 1st day close: 59183.22 (Jan. 3)	: 2022 1st day close: 17625.70 (Jan. 3)
2022 Closing High: 63284.19 (Dec. 1)	: 2022 Closing High: 18812.50 (Dec. 1)
2022 Closing Low: 51360.42 (Jun. 17)	: 2022 Closing Low: 15293.50 (Jun. 17)
2022 High (intraday): 63583.07 (Dec. 1)	: 2022 High (intraday): 18887.60 (Dec. 1)
2022 Low (intraday): 50921.22 (Jun. 17)	: 2022 Low (intraday): 15183.40 (Jun. 17)
2021 Closing High: 61305.95 (Oct. 14)	: 2021 Closing High: 18338.55 (Oct. 14)
2021 Closing Low: 46285.77 (Jan. 29)	: 2021 Closing Low: 13634.60 (Jan. 29)
2021 High (intraday): 61353.25 (Oct. 14)	: 2021 High (intraday): 18350.75 (Oct. 14)
2021 Low (intraday): 46160.46 (Jan. 29)	: 2021 Low (intraday): 13596.75 (Jan. 29)
2020 Closing High: 47751.33 (Dec. 31)	: 2020 Closing High: 13981.95 (Dec. 30)
2020 Closing Low: 25981.24 (Mar. 23)	: 2020 Closing Low: 7610.25 (Mar. 23)
2020 High (intraday): 47896.97 (Dec. 31)	: 2020 High (intraday): 14024.85 (Dec. 31)
2020 Low (intraday): 25638.90 (Mar. 24)	: 2020 Low (intraday): 7511.10 (Mar. 24)
2019 High (intraday): 41809.96 (Dec. 20)	: 2019 High (intraday): 12293.90 (Dec. 20)
2019 Low (intraday): 35287.16 (Feb. 19)	: 2019 Low (intraday): 10583.65 (Jan. 29)
2018 High (intraday): 38938.91(Aug. 28))	: 2018 High(intraday): 11760.20 (Aug. 28)
2018 Low (intraday): 32483.8 (Mar. 23)	: 2018 Low (intraday): 9951.9 (Mar. 23)
2017 High (intraday): 34005.37 (Dec. 26)	: 2017 High(intraday): 10515.10 (Dec. 26)

 

End

 

US$1 = INR 92.63

 

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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