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Informist, Tuesday, Apr. 21, 2026

 

By Arundathi A R

 

MUMBAI – Bulls tightened their hold on the domestic equity market for the third straight session on Tuesday, with the benchmark indices ending the session nearly 1% higher. Optimism about the second round of talks between the US and Iran helped indices remain in positive territory throughout the session, analysts said. The fall in crude oil prices to below $94 a barrel also buoyed the positive sentiment.

 

In the latest development, Iran's top negotiator warned it has prepared "new cards on the battlefield," and is ready if the war resumes, according to a report by CNBC. Iran warned of a "decisive response" to attacks from the US or Israel. US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Monday that "lots of bombs [will] start going off" if a deal is not reached when the ceasefire deadline expires on Wednesday, according to various news reports.

 

The Nifty 50 settled 0.9% higher at 24576.60. The BSE Sensex ended 1.0% higher at 79273.33. Broader market indices also mirrored the gains in their benchmark peers. Small-cap indices ended the session about 1% higher each, and mid-cap indices closed 0.5% higher each. India VIX, the fear gauge of the domestic equity market, signalled that investors are relieved. The volatility index settled nearly 7% lower at 17.5325. Barring the Nifty Pharma and Nifty Consumer Durables, all sectoral indices closed flat to almost 3% higher. The Nifty FMCG was the top performer among sectoral indices, with most constituents ending in the green. 

 

Nestle India remained the top-gainer among Nifty 50 constituents for most of the session. The stock closed more than 7% higher after the company reported a nearly 26% year-on-year rise in net profit for the March quarter to INR 11.14 billion. Nestle India's revenue rose nearly 23% on year to INR 67.48 billion. Both the key metrics were sharply above the Street's expectations.

 

Hindustan Unilever, which ended 3.5% higher, was the second-biggest gainer in the Nifty 50. Banking and financial services stocks also supported the 50-stock index during the session. Index heavyweight ICICI Bank ended among the top five gainers in the benchmark index, up over 2%. It was followed by Bajaj Finance and HDFC Bank, which also ended over 2% higher each.

 

Information technology major HCL Technologies ended the session nearly 1% higher ahead of its March quarter results due later in the day. The IT major is expected to report a 6% on-quarter decline in its consolidated net profit for the March quarter. The company's consolidated net profit, excluding exceptional items, is expected to be INR 47.23 billion.

 

Billionbrains Garage reversed its losses of the past three days to end over 9% higher, and was the top gainer in Nifty 200. Brokerages have raised their target prices for the company following its quarterly earnings report released Monday. Motilal Oswal raised the target price for the stock to INR 235, up 20% from its earlier level, and retained its 'buy' recommendation. Jefferies increased the target price for the stock 7% to INR 225 and retained the 'buy' recommendation. The company posted over 25% quarter-on-quarter growth in consolidated net profit and nearly 24% rise in top line in the March quarter.

 

Bank of Maharashtra ended over 6% higher. The lender reported a nearly 35% on-year jump in its net profit to INR 20.14 billion in the March quarter. The stock closed higher for the third straight session, gaining 12.5% over the period.

 

Only 14 constituents of the Nifty 50 ended in negative territory, including select automobile stocks and pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories was among the worst performers in the 50-stock index, ending 1% lower, while Sun Pharmaceutical Industries closed 0.2% lower. Automobile companies Bajaj Auto and Eicher Motors closed marginally lower. SBI Life Insurance Co. was a key laggard in the Nifty 50 index, ending nearly 4% lower.

 

* Of the Nifty 50 stocks, 36 rose and 14 fell

* Of the Sensex stocks, 23 rose and 7 fell

* On the NSE, 2,089 stocks rose, 1,247 fell, and 101 were unchanged

* On the BSE, 2,530 stocks rose, 1,761 fell, and 162 were unchanged
* Nifty FMCG: up 2.6%; Nifty Realty: up 2.1%; Nifty Pharma: down 0.1%

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BSE                                               NSE

Sensex: 79273.33, up 753.03 points or 1%        Nifty 50: 24576.60, up 211.75 points or 0.9%

 

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: 71947.55 (Mar. 30)	: 2026 Closing Low: 22331.40 (Mar. 30)
2026 High (intraday): 85883.50 (Jan. 5)	: 2026 High (intraday): 26373.20 (Jan. 5)
2026 Low (intraday): 71545.81 (Apr. 1)	: 2026 Low (intraday): 22182.55 (Apr.2)
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

 

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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