More Stories

Informist, Wednesday, Apr. 29, 2026

 

By Arundathi A R

 

MUMBAI – Bullish sentiment returned to the equity market Wednesday, helping the headline indices to close nearly 1% higher after Tuesday's sell-off. Investors bought stocks as there was no negative news, especially from the US-Iran war front. Strong March quarter earnings by companies also helped a positive bias to take hold despite the price of crude oil rising to $115 a barrel.

 

The Nifty 50 settled at 24177.65 points, up 181.95 points or 0.8%. The BSE Sensex closed at 77496.36, up 609.45 points or 0.8%. Only 14 of the Nifty 50 constituents closed down. The nervousness among investors dropped more than 3%, with the India VIX settling at 17.4375.

 

The June futures contract of Brent Crude was up for the eighth session in a row, hovering around $115 per barrel. At 1538 IST, the contract for delivery in June was up 3% at $114.63 a barrel. 

 

In the broader market, small-cap indices performed in line with their headline peers and settled 0.5% higher. However, the mid-cap indices ended lower. Most sectoral indices ended the session in positive territory.

 

Fast-moving consumer goods stocks drove much of the day's rally in the Nifty 50. ITC ended nearly 4% higher and was the top gainer. Nestle India and Tata Consumer Products were also among the top performers in the Nifty 50 and ended around 2% higher each. The Nifty FMCG sectoral index was up almost 2%.

 

Automobile stocks in the Nifty 50 also contributed to the rise of the benchmark index. Maruti Suzuki India, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Eicher Motors logged 2-3% gains. The Nifty Auto ended over 1% higher with most of its constituents up.

 

The management of Maruti Suzuki said it expects its domestic passenger vehicle sales to rise 10% in the financial year 2026-27 (Apr-Mar). Brokerages are also of the view that the domestic demand environment for the automaker remains robust despite macroeconomic challenges. The company's net profit for the March quarter declined 7% on year to INR 35.91 billion though its revenue rose over 28% to INR 524.49 billion.

 

Bandhan Bank closed 11% higher after hitting a 52-week high during the session. The lender reported a net profit of INR 5.34 billion for the March quarter, up over 68% on year. This was way above analysts' estimate of INR 3.99 billion. The bank's bottom line rose as provisions and contingencies for the quarter fell 46% on year to INR 6.77 billion. However, its total income for the reporting quarter rose only over 1% on year to INR 61.99 billion.

 

Shares of IIFL Finance ended 2% higher ahead of its March quarter earnings, due later in the day. The company's consolidated net profit for the reporting quarter is estimated to jump over 157% on year and nearly 10% on quarter to INR 5.34 billion. The stock closed higher for the third successive session. Fino Payments Bank closed nearly 1% higher ahead of its March quarter results, also due later in the day. Emkay Global Financial Services expects the bank to report a sharp year-on-year fall in net profit for the March quarter.

 

Union Bank of India closed nearly 2% lower. The stock fell intraday after a whistleblower told the Reserve Bank of India about alleged window dressing of deposits. The whistleblower alleged that the bank had inflated quarter-end current account and savings account figures.

 

REC ended over 3% lower, down for the second day after the company detailed its March quarter results. The company's net profit for the quarter fell 21% on year. This was the first fall in its bottom line in 14 quarters. REC reported a net profit of INR 33.62 billion and its total income fell 5% on year to INR 144.06 billion.

 

Among other stocks, InterGlobe Aviation, down over 2%, ended as the worst hit in the Nifty 50. A fall of nearly 1% in index heavyweight ICICI Bank limited the rise of the index. Sapphire Foods ended as the top gainer in the Nifty 200 index, rising 19%.

 

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

* Of the Sensex stocks, 22 rose and 8 fell

* On the NSE, 1,626 stocks rose, 1,667 fell, and 101 were unchanged

* On the BSE, 2,121 stocks rose, 2,112 fell, and 169 were unchanged
* Nifty FMCG: up 1.8%; Nifty Realty: up 1.5%; Nifty Media: down 0.5%

---

BSE                                              NSE

Sensex: 77496.36, up 609.45 points or 0.8%       Nifty 50: 24177.65, up 181.95 points or 0.8%

 

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 Rajeev Pai

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.