Equity benchmark indices continued to gain momentum on Wednesday despite persistent geopolitical uncertainty stemming from the ongoing West Asia conflict, along with sustained foreign fund outflows. The rally was primarily driven by a rebound in information technology stocks and supported by broader gains across Asian markets as crude oil prices eased slightly.
In today’s session, the BSE Sensex surged as much as 858 points, while the Nifty 50 climbed 255 points from the previous close. At 1.24 pm, the Sensex was trading 828.61 points or 1.09 per cent higher at 76,899.45, while the Nifty 50 rose 243.65 points or 1.03 per cent to 23,824.80.
Broader markets also remained firm, with the midcap index outperforming the smallcap index. The midcap gauge advanced nearly 2 per cent, while the smallcap index gained over 1 per cent, reflecting improved risk appetite among investors.
On the sectoral front, IT, telecom, media and realty stocks dominated the gainers’ list with sharp advances of 3–4 per cent. Metal stocks were the only laggards, trading in the red amid profit-booking.
Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech lead Nifty 50 gainers
Among frontline stocks, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Jio Financial Services, HCL Technologies and Eternal emerged as the top gainers on the Nifty 50. In contrast, Coal India, NTPC, Cipla, Hindustan Unilever and HDFC Bank were among the major losers.
Market breadth remained strongly positive, with 3,213 stocks traded on the National Stock Exchange at the time of writing. Of these, 2,580 stocks advanced, while 565 declined and 68 remained unchanged.
As many as 16 stocks touched their 52-week highs, whereas 116 slipped to 52-week lows. Investor interest was also visible in momentum counters, with 91 stocks locked in the upper circuit limit, while 54 stocks hit their lower circuit limits.
Select IT stocks lead midcap gainers
Within the midcap space, Coforge, KPIT Technologies, Tata Technologies, Waaree Energies and ITC Hotels rallied 5–6 per cent. However, National Aluminium Company, Aurobindo Pharma, Oil India, Coromandel International, Blue Star and Adani Total Gas slipped up to 1 per cent.
In the smallcap segment, JBM Auto, Trident, Aditya Birla Real Estate and Angel One surged up to 15 per cent. On the downside, MRPL, Hindustan Copper, MCX, Jindal Saw and Mahanagar Gas declined up to 4 per cent.
On the BSE, MMTC, JBM Auto, Olectra Greentech rallied 13-18 per cent. On the downside were Chennai Petroleum, ITI, MRPL and One Source.
Published on March 18, 2026
