Markets at 1:30PM: The market saw a strong surge, with the Sensex jumping 1,616.36 points, or 2.22%, to 74,312.75, while the Nifty rallied 488.05 points, or 2.17%, to cross the 23,000 mark and trade at 23,000.70.
At this hour, key gainers include Larsen & Toubro up 5.16%, InterGlobe Aviation rising 5%, UltraTech Cement gaining 4.5%, Eternal up 4.4%, and Asian Paints advancing 4%, while Power Grid Corporation of India is among the losers, down 0.65%.
Markets at 12:30 pm: The markets are gradually picking pace in afternoon trade. The Sensex is now up above 1,200 points and the Nifty is trading above the key 22,900 mark. The surge is led by Shriram Finance, Eternal and IndiGo. The small and midcap indices, too, have seen strong buying interest, up over 2% intra-day.
Globally, the Dow Futures are back in the green after languishing in negative territory all day. Brent crude prices are now holding above $102/bbl in Asian trade.
Markets at 12PM: In the afternoon trade, the market remained in positive territory, with the Sensex rising 834.93 points, or 1.15%, to 73,531.32, while the Nifty gained 255.35 points, or 1.13%, to trade at 22,768.00.
The biggest reason behind the gain is India is tracking gains in Asian peers after Trump postponed the bombing of Iran’s power grid.
Markets at open: On Tuesday’s opening bell, markets started on a strong note, with the Sensex rising 1,516.08 points or 2.09% to 74,212.47, while the Nifty gained 346 points or 1.54% to trade at 22,858.65 in early trade.
Markets at pre-open: All eyes are on global cues as the market prepares for today’s session, with investors closely watching developments in West Asia along with trends in global equities, currencies, and commodities.
Early trend indicates a steady start for Indian markets, with GIFT Nifty indicating gains of around 463 points or 1.91%, hovering in the 22,800-22,900 range.
Previous session: Sharp selloff
Indian stock markets ended lower on March 23, with both key indices seeing a sharp fall by the close of trade. The Sensex declined by 1,836.57 points, or 2.46%, to finish at 72,696.39, while the Nifty dropped 601.85 points, or 2.60%, to settle at 22,512.65.
Key global and domestic cues to watch on March 24, 2026
Asian markets
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher on Tuesday, with gains seen across major indices. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 2.2% and the Topix advanced 2.47%. In South Korea, the Kospi climbed 3.5%, while the Kosdaq index was up 3.29%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also moved higher, gaining around 0.74%.
US signals pause amid ongoing tensions
US President Donald Trump on Monday said he has asked the military to hold off on planned strikes targeting Iran’s power and energy infrastructure for the next five days. The decision comes after recent discussions between US and Iranian officials, indicating a possible attempt to ease tension, as per reports.
Trump said Monday in a Truth Social post, “I am please to report that the united states of america, and the country of iran, have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the middle east.”
Tension rise as conflict enters fourth week
The ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran has entered its fourth week.
Airstrikes by the US and Israel have targeted key military and nuclear sites in Iran, along with important oil facilities, while Iran has responded with repeated missile attacks on US and Israeli positions. The tension has further increased after US President Donald Trump warned of strong action if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil supply. In response, Iran has signalled possible retaliation, raising concerns about further disruption in the region and its impact on global markets.
US Market
In the US, markets ended higher on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 631 points, or 1.38%, to close at 46,208.47. The S&P 500 gained 1.15% to settle at 6,581.00, while the Nasdaq Composite moved up 1.38% to end at 21,946.76.
US dollar
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was trading 0.08% up at 99.29 on Tuesday morning. The index evaluates the strength or weakness of the US dollar in comparison to major currencies. The basket contains currencies such as the British Pound, Euro, Swedish Krona, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, etc. The rupee appreciated 0.27% to close at 93.97 to the dollar on March 23.
Crude oil
Crude oil prices an uptick in early Tuesday trading, remaining largely steady overall. Brent crude edged higher by around around 2.78% , trading near $102.72 per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) edged higher by around 3.31%, trading near $91.04 per barrel.
FII, DII data
On March 23, foreign investors continued to pull money out of Indian markets, selling shares worth over Rs 10,400 crore, as per provisional data. At the same time, domestic institutional investors stepped in and bought equities worth around Rs 12,000 crore.
Gold rate today
In the international market, gold was trading at $4,340 per ounce.
Gold prices in India remain in sharp focus. On the MCX, April 2, 2026, gold futures were trading at Rs 1,38,290 per 10 grams in the latest update.
Key sectoral losers in last trading session
In the last trading session, sharp selling was seen across these sectors, with Shipping falling 5.22%, Cables declining 5.33%, Shipbuilding slipping 5.34%, and Gems and Jewellery dropping 6.02%.
Best and worst performing business group in last trading session
In the last trading session, gains were limited, with the Arvind Mafatlal Group rising 7.02% and HCL Group up 1.82%, while the rest saw declines – Shriram Group fell 6.58%, Pennar Group dropped 6.64%, Yash Birla Group slipped 7.62%, Lakshmi Group Coimbatore declined 8.45%, and Jaypee Group tumbled 10.09%.