Nifty 50 reclaims 22,900— 10 key highlights of Indian stock market today | Stock Market News

Led by gains in shares of select heavyweights, including HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries, Indian stock market benchmarks – the Sensex and the Nifty 50- closed in the green for the third consecutive session on Wednesday, March 19.

The Sensex closed 148 points, or 0.20 per cent, higher at 75,449.05, while the Nifty 50 reclaimed the 22,900 mark, ending at 22,907.60, up 73 points, or 0.32 per cent.

While the benchmarks ended with modest gains, the mid- and small-cap segments vaulted. The BSE Midcap index jumped 2.28 per cent, and the Smallcap index rose 2.17 per cent.

Thanks to solid gains in the second-rung indices, investors pocketed about ₹5 lakh crore in a single session as the overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms jumped to nearly ₹405 lakh crore from nearly ₹400 lakh crore in the previous session.

Stock market today: 10 key highlights

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

1. What moved the Indian market today?

The Indian stock market extended gains for the third consecutive session as a recent correction has offered some valuation comfort. Growing expectations of economic growth picking up pace and earnings revival are underpinning sentiment.

However, global uncertainty stemming from Donald Trump’s tariff policies remains a key risk. The US Federal Reserve’s policy decision tonight and Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s projections on growth and inflation would be major triggers for the market.

“The domestic market continued its positive momentum, as part of the recent correction was justified by valuation. The sustainability of the relief rally depends on a fundamental revival,” said Vinod Nair, the head of research at Geojit Financial Services.

“In light of trade uncertainties and growth concerns, today’s Fed policy and the commentary will be keenly watched by investors to get cues on interest rates,” Nair said.

2. Top 3 Nifty 50 gainers today

Out of 31 stocks that closed with gains on Wednesday, shares of Shriram Finance (up 3.91 per cent), HDFC Life Insurance Company (up 3.83 per cent) and Apollo Hospitals Enterprises (up 2.93 per cent) stood at the top.

3. Only 3 Nifty 50 laggards today

Shares of Tech Mahindra (down 2.32 per cent), ITC (down 1.39 per cent) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (down 1.34 per cent) ended as the top laggards in the index.

4. Sectoral indices today

All sectoral indices ended with gains, except for Nifty IT and FMCG, which lost 1.08 per cent and 0.55 per cent, respectively.

Nifty Realty (up 2.80 per cent), PSU Bank (up 1.98 per cent), Metal (up 1.27 per cent) and Media (up 1.08 per cent) closed with healthy gains.

Nifty Bank settled 0.79 per cent higher, while the Financial Services index rose 0.71 per cent.

5. Most active stocks in terms of volume

Vodafone Idea (68.2 crore shares), Easy Trip Planners (12.7 crore shares), Ola Electric Mobility (12.5 crore shares), JP Power (10 crore shares) and YES Bank (9.98 crore shares) were the most active stocks in terms of volume on the NSE.

6. Bajaj Finance, Kotak Mahindra Bank among stocks that hit 52-week highs

81 stocks, including Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finance, IndiGo, Coromandel International and Muthoot Finance, hit fresh 52-week highs in intraday trade on the BSE.

7. Over 150 stocks hit 52-week low

Some 154 stocks, including Manugraph India, Omaxe, GACM Technologies and SIS, hit their fresh 52-week lows in intraday trade on the BSE.

8. Stocks that rose 20% on NSE

Six stocks – Asian Energy Services, Vibhor Steel Tubes, Garden Reach Shipbuilders, Ksolves India, Brooks Laboratories and Sindhu Trade Links- jumped 20 per cent on the NSE.

9. Advance-decline ratio

The advance-decline ratio tilted heavily towards the advancers, as some 2,345 stocks advanced while 568 declined on the NSE. This means that for every declining stock, four stocks advanced. Some 77 stocks remained unchanged.

10. What do experts say about Nifty 50?

Shrikant Chouhan, the head of equity research at Kotak Securities, believes the short-term texture of the market is still on the positive side. However, it could remain rangebound in the near term due to temporary overbought conditions.

“For day traders, the key support zones are 22,800-22,720, while 23,000-23,100 could act as crucial resistance areas for the bulls. A fall below 22,720 would make the uptrend vulnerable,” said Chouhan.

According to Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, the Nifty 50 has been closing above the 21EMA for the last two days, confirming the bullish trend. The RSI is in a bullish crossover and rising.

“In the short term, the trend is likely to remain positive, with a possible consolidation in the next two to three days. Support is placed at 22,600. On the higher end, resistance is placed at 23100-23150,” said De.

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Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.