Indian Stock Markets Roundup: March 5, 2025

The Indian stock markets closed sharply higher after a robust trading session, snapping a prolonged losing streak driven by broad-based buying and positive global cues. The BSE Sensex ended the day at 73,677.06, up 740.96 points or 1.02%, while the NSE Nifty 50 settled at 22,318.75, surging 230.40 points or 1.04%, halting its 10-day decline—the longest since 1996. Broader market indices also rallied, with the BSE MidCap index rising 1.8% and the BSE SmallCap index gaining 2.1%, adding over ₹8 lakh crore to BSE-listed companies’ market cap.

Key Highlights:

• Market Sentiment: The session opened marginally higher, with GIFT Nifty around 22,121, signaling a cautious start that turned bullish after Asian markets rose following China’s growth targets. The India VIX fell 5.6% to 15.36, easing volatility fears. Posts on X hailed the “biggest single-day gain in a month,” with Nifty reclaiming 22,300.

• Top Gainers: Adani Ports led the Nifty 50, soaring 5.2% to an unspecified level, followed by Tata Steel (up 5.1%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (up 4.2% to approximately ₹2,875), boosted by a UBS upgrade. Trent and Power Grid also rose over 3%.

• Top Losers: Bajaj Auto was a notable laggard, falling 1.8%, alongside Hero MotoCorp (down 1.5%) and Bajaj Finserv (down 1.2%), tempering gains in the auto and finance sectors, per Moneycontrol updates.

• Sectoral Performance: Sectoral indices shone, with Nifty Metal up 2.8%, Nifty Auto gaining 1.9%, and Nifty IT rising 1.6%, recovering from a six-day slide. Nifty Bank edged up 0.8%, supported by ICICI Bank’s 1.2% gain. Only Nifty FMCG dipped slightly by 0.2%.

• FII and DII Activity: Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned net buyers, purchasing ₹2,500 crore worth of shares (provisional), a shift after outflows exceeding ₹50,000 crore year-to-date. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought ₹3,200 crore, per X trends, fueling the rally.

Notable Corporate Updates:

• Bharti Airtel: Gained 2.5%, holding above ₹1,650, as merger talks with Tata Play (confirmed February 26) continued to support telecom sentiment, per The Economic Times.

• Indian Railways Stocks: IRFC and IRCTC extended gains (up 4-5%) after Navratna status approval, per The Hindu BusinessLine.

• Vesuvius India: Rose 3% post its 1:10 stock split approval, following a strong Q3 profit of ₹60 crore.

Market Context:

The rally followed gains in Asian peers, with China and Hong Kong up after Beijing set a 5% growth target and pledged tech sector support amid U.S. tariff tensions (25% on Canada/Mexico, 10% on China). Domestically, the market shrugged off Tuesday’s tariff-driven losses, buoyed by DII buying and a cooling India VIX. Despite a ₹94 lakh crore market cap erosion since September, today’s ₹8 lakh crore gain lifted spirits, with analysts eyeing Nifty resistance at 22,500 and support at 22,000.