Sensex today | Stock market Highlights: Flat day after a gap-up start – Nifty closes above 24,200, Sensex up 1,200 points; IndiGo, Eternal, PowerGrid surge 4%

Indian benchmark indices ended the session with strong gains. The Sensex jumped 1,263.67 points, or 1.64%, to close at 78,111.24, while the Nifty rose 388.65 points, or 1.63%, to settle at 24,231.30.

Share price of Paras Defence and Space Technologies moved sharply higher in intraday trade today, rising over 7% after the company announced a new international partnership.

The company said it has signed an agreement with US-based Bandak Aviation Inc. to work together on aerial refuelling systems for the Indian Armed Forces.

Metal stocks saw a strong uptick in intraday trade today.

Among the large-cap gainers, Hindalco Industries and Vedanta led the rally, while Hindustan Copper and Hindustan Zinc surged around 5% each. Steel majors such as Tata Steel and JSW Steel also joined the upmove, posting gains of over 1% during the session.

Also read: Metal stocks rally: Nifty Metal Index jumps 2%; Select small and midcap stocks lead

The dollar index which gauges the strength of greenback against a basket of six major currencies like euro, yen etc also some easing today, helping calm down the oil prices, which helped boost the sentiment for Asian equities.

In international markets, spot gold climbed past the $4,800/oz mark in early Asian trade.

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At this hour, select banking heavyweights were under pressure, with Axis Bank down 0.08%, Bharti Airtel slipping 0.21%, and ICICI Bank declining 0.29%.

" The US equities rose on Tuesday with Bench Mark S&P 500’s record closing level now very much in sight. Sentiments were boosted on Tuesday amidst a release of a significantly better-than anticipated US producer inflation report. Earlier all European equities also closed higher," Finrex Advisors said in a note.

They added that Dow was up by 0.66%, Nasdaq by 1.96% and S&P by 1.18%. With US equities up the Hang Seng rose by 1.17%, KOSPI by 2.91%, Nikkei by 0.79% and Shanghai by 0.38%.

Share price of gas distribution company GAIL rose 2% in early trade as the company secured contracts worth Rs 3,800 crore for setting up 700 MW solar power projects in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Of this a 600 MW project would be set up in UP, while a 100 MW solar project would be set up in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.

Via these projects the PSU aims to expand its renewable energy portfolio, the company said.

Read More: GAIL to invest Rs 3,800 cr in solar projects across UP, Maharashtra; plans 700 MW capacity addition

In early trade, share price of ICICI Prudential Insurance rose 7% to a four-week high of Rs 565.6. The surge comes following the insurer's strong quarterly performance.

For Q4FY26 the company's profitability and income saw some sequential decline. Net profit came in at Rs 763 crore, down from Rs 917 crore in the previous quarter. Total income also slipped to Rs 1,428 crore from Rs 1,624 crore.

However, on a YoY basis, the trend was reported stronger. Net profit rose over 10% from Rs 691 crore in the same quarter last year, while revenue from operations increased nearly 20% to Rs 1,517 crore. 

Read More: What does ICICI Pru AMC’s Rs 12.40 dividend and new ESOP plan mean for you? 5 things to watch

Here is a look at some of the top gainers in trade today -

The Indian rupee opened at 93.17 mark against the US Dollar, up 0.2% from its previous close of 93.37. The currency rose over potential hopes of second round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran. US crude futures slipped below the $90/bbl mark which helped with the slight increase.

Brent crude futures continue to trade below the $100/bbl mark.

At this hour, buying interest was seen in select heavyweights. IndiGo surged 4.6%, Eternal gained 3.5%, Larsen & Toubro rose 3.4%, Adani Ports added 2.6%, while Maruti Suzuki advanced 2.6%.

Share price of RailTel Corporation of India moved sharply higher today, rising over 11% after the company announced multiple order wins. The rally came after the firm announced that it had secured three new projects with a combined value of Rs 608.51 crore.

A significant portion of this comes from contracts awarded by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. RailTel said it has received two Letters of Acceptance (LoA) for work related to integrated tunnel communication systems, covering supply, installation, testing, and commissioning. These two orders together are valued at Rs 564.54 crore.

"Hopes of resumption of US-Iran talks, Israel-Lebanon talks and crash in Brent crude by $10 dollars in two days augur well for the market in the near-term. The resilience of markets worldwide, despite the IMF’s warning about a global recession if the conflict prolongs, is an indication that the market is discounting an end to the conflict soon," said Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments.

"In the extremely volatile scenario through which markets have been moving, it is important that investors remain invested. The benefit from sharp rebounds in the market will be lost to investors who sell out and keep away from the market," he added.

Futhermore, he noted, "In the near-term large caps are likely to stage a smart come back, but may again face headwinds when FIIs resume selling. The excellent performance of South Korean and Taiwanese markets and the significant market momentum there might nudge FPIs to sell again in India. Sustained resilience in the near-term is likely to be in mid and small caps which will not come under the pressure of FPI selling."

The domestic markets opened on a strong note today. The Sensex surged 1,133.53 points, or 1.48%, to start the session at 77,981.10. Similarly, the Nifty also began higher, gaining 321.15 points, or 1.35%, to open at 24,163.80.

IMF has upgraded India’s FY27 GDP growth projection to 6.5%, raising it by 0.1 percentage point from its January 2026 estimate of 6.4%. The upgrade was part of IMF's April 2026 World Economic Outlook (WEO) titled Global Economy in the Shadow of War.

The IMF is also positive about the FY28 outlook. Growth is expected to hold steady at 6.5% in FY28. With this prediction, India is among just a handful of large economies that are expected to see an upward trajectory in growth going forward.

The IMF attributed the revision to three factors: Strong carryover momentum from FY26, a reduction in US tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 10%, and sustained domestic demand strength.

Also read: IMF hints at worldwide recession, but raises India’s GDP growth forecast to 6.5% for FY27

One of the big factors that's supporting the sentiment on the street is the current crude prices, it is trading well below the crucial $100/bbl mark and has fallen nearly 6% from last evening's levels. The US and indicated that it will be looking at opportunities to renew talks with Iran. The US military claimed that it has successfully begun to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports as the standoff between the US and Iran deepens.

The first round ended without an agreement on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which the White House says is a sticking point.

Jefferies has downgraded Indus Towers to ‘Underperform’ with a revised target price of Rs 3,75, implying a downside of about 14%, citing a bunching up of tower contract renewals over the next two years and sustained pressure from elevated capital expenditure. The brokerage has trimmed revenue and profit estimates and expects modest earnings growth alongside weaker cash flows and dividend payouts. It sees limited re-rating potential as growth risks remain visible and cost pressures build up.

In today's trade, shares of ICICI Pru Life, Anand Rathi Share, LIC, Vedanta, HAL among others will be in focus due to various news developments and fourth quarter results.

Asia-Pacific markets advanced on Wednesday as oil prices softened after the US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran is close to over while both countries planed a second round of talk.

South Korea's Kospi and the Japan's Nikkei 225 were trading 3 per cent and 0.59 per cent higher, respectively. The CSI 300 was up 0.16 per cent.

Sensex, Nifty today | Stock market LIVE update: Asia-Pacific markets advanced on Wednesday as oil prices softened after the US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran is close to over while both countries planed a second round of talk.

South Korea's Kospi and the Japan's Nikkei 225 were trading 3 per cent and 0.59 per cent higher, respectively. The CSI 300 was up 0.16 per cent.

Shares of Reliance Industries, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL (India), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Indraprastha Gas are in focus. Global brokerage Jefferies highlighted strong upside potential of up to 51% in select oil and gas stocks. The brokerage remains positive on the sector despite near-term volatility driven by crude price swings and geopolitical tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. It believes valuations in some stocks have become attractive.

Also read: Reliance, BPCL, ONGC: Jefferies sees up to 51% upside in 6 oil & gas stocks

"Nifty 50 is expected to open with a sharp gap-up, extending its ongoing recovery phase. From a technical standpoint, the index is approaching a crucial resistance zone around 24,200-24,400, which was previously a strong support and is now acting as resistance. A sustained breakout above this level will be key to accelerating upward momentum, potentially driving the index towards the 24,800–25,000 range. This zone is likely to act as a critical trigger for the continuation of the bullish trend. On the downside, the 24,000 mark now emerges as an important psychological and technical support level, with stronger support placed around 23,800. Sustaining above this zone will be essential to maintain the current positive structure and preserve momentum. Overall, the outlook has turned positive, with continued strength above the 24,000 level remaining critical to sustaining bullish momentum," said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.

Oil prices fell for the second day on Wednesday. Hopes of fresh talks between the United States and Iran improved supply outlook. Tension around the Strait of Hormuz also showed signs of easing.

Brent crude slipped about 0.6% to around $94 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped nearly 1.1% to trade close to $90 per barrel.

"Indian equity markets are expected to open on a positive note with a gap-up, supported by a meaningful improvement in global sentiment. Optimism has strengthened following reports of progress in the resumption of U.S.–Iran talks and early signs of de-escalation in West Asia. Asian equities are mirroring gains in U.S. markets, pointing to a broader pickup in global risk appetite. GIFT Nifty indicates a strong gap-up opening of around 100 points, building on the steady gains seen over the past two sessions and likely to set the tone for today’s domestic market open," said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.

"However, sentiment remains sensitive to sudden developments, and any adverse news could quickly alter market direction. Markets are currently highly news-driven, with near-term trends likely to be influenced by geopolitical developments, crude oil price movements, currency fluctuations and foreign institutional investor (FII) activity," he added.

Indian stock markets ended lower on April 13, as rising concerns over crude oil prices weighed on investor sentiment after ceasefire talks between the US and Iran failed. The Sensex dropped 702.68 points, or 0.91%, to close at 76,847.57, while the Nifty also declined by 207.95 points to settle below the 23,850 mark.