Global markets surged after Donald Trump signalled that the Iran conflict could end within a few weeks, lifting investor sentiment sharply. Wall Street rallied overnight, Asian markets opened strong this morning, and Indian equities are set to begin the new financial year on an upbeat note.
Gift Nifty trends point to a gap-up opening for domestic benchmarks, with the index indicating a rise of over 350 points at the open.
Uncertainty around the conflict had kept US indices range-bound earlier, but Trump’s comments triggered a sharp shift in sentiment.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1,125.37 points (2.49%) to close at 46,341.51
The S&P 500 gained 184.80 points (2.91%) to 6,528.52
The Nasdaq Composite surged 795.99 points (3.83%) to 21,590.63
This marked the strongest single-day performance in nearly 11 months. US futures continued to edge higher this morning.
Asian markets mirrored Wall Street’s momentum:
Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s KOSPI surged up to 5 percent at the open
Australian markets rose 1.6 percent
Hong Kong and Chinese equities also opened in positive territory
Indian markets ended the previous financial year on a weak note, with sustained selling pressure:
Sensex fell 5.4 percent for FY26
Nifty 50 declined 3.6 percent
Foreign investors pulled out a record ₹1.8 lakh-crore during the year, while domestic institutions invested ₹8.3 lakh-crore, including ₹5.1 lakh-crore via mutual funds.
On Monday:
Sensex fell 1,635.67 points to 71,947.55
Nifty dropped 488.20 points to 22,331.40
Bank Nifty declined 3.82 percent
Market breadth remained weak, with a majority of stocks ending lower.
The Indian Rupee is showing signs of recovery in offshore trade after recent volatility. In the non-deliverable forward (NDF) market, the rupee strengthened to around 93.3 per dollar.
The US Dollar Index slipped below the 100 mark, reflecting easing safe-haven demand as geopolitical tensions cool.
Oil prices corrected sharply amid hopes of de-escalation:
Brent Crude fell to around $103.97 per barrel before rebounding to about $105
WTI Crude hovered near $102.77
Earlier, Brent had spiked to $118 on war fears.
Gold prices remain highly volatile:
Rose to as high as $4,723 per ounce intraday
Later eased to around $4,686
Silver also saw sharp swings, while platinum and palladium remained firm.
Industrial metals saw gains:
Copper edged higher to $12,160 per tonne
Aluminium jumped over 2 percent amid supply disruptions in the Middle East
Among agri commodities:
Rubber and coffee prices rose
Tea prices declined
Palm oil surged nearly 4 percent
Risk appetite returned to crypto markets:
Bitcoin moved above $67,750
Ethereum hovered near $2,100
(March 31, Tuesday)
Sensex: 71,947.55 (-2.20%)
Nifty 50: 22,331.40 (-2.14%)
Bank Nifty: 50,275.35 (-3.82%)
Midcap 100: 52,650.00 (-2.68%)
Smallcap 100: 15,203.80 (-2.66%)
Global markets (latest)
Dow Jones: 46,341.51 (+2.49%)
S&P 500: 6,528.52 (+2.91%)
Nasdaq: 21,590.63 (+3.83%)
Commodities & currency
Gold: $4,669.80/oz
Brent crude: $103.97/barrel
Rupee: ₹94.83 per $
