INDICES RISE FOR THIRD DAY, NIFTY ABOVE 22,900 MARK

Domestic equity benchmarks closed with moderate gains on Wednesday, marking a third consecutive day of increases. The Indian Rupee`s strengthening against the U.S. Dollar bolstered market sentiment as investors awaited the U.S. Federal Reserve policy decision later tonight. The Nifty ended above the 22,900 level. Consumer durables, realty, and PSU bank shares saw gains, while IT and FMCG shares declined.

The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 147.79 points or 0.20% to 75,449.05. The Nifty 50 index added 73.30 points or 0.32% to 22,907.60. In the three conseutive sessions, the Sensex and the Nifty jumped 2.19% and 2.28%, respectively.

Larsen & Toubro (up 1.46%), Reliance Industries (up 0.72%) and HDFC Bank (up 0.62%) boosted the indices.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 2.28%, and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 2.17%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 3018 shares rose and 1033 shares fell. A total of 115 shares were unchanged.

The NSE`s India VIX, a gauge of the market`s expectation of volatility over the near term, rose 0.66% to 13.30.

Numbers to Track:

The yield on India`s 10-year benchmark federal paper shed 0.22% to 6.768 as compared with the previous close of 6.783.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged higher against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 86.38, compared with its close of 86.56 during the previous trading session.

MCX Gold futures for the 4 April 2025 settlement fell 0.11% to Rs 88,628.

The US Dollar index (DXY), which tracks the greenback`s value against a basket of currencies, was up 0.40% to 103.64.

The United States 10-year bond yield added 0.19% to 4.289.

In the commodities market, Brent crude for May 2025 settlement lost 20 cents or 0.28% to $70.36 a barrel.

Global Markets:

Most European indices declined on Wednesday as investors digested the historic debt reforms in Germany, ahead of regional inflation data and the conclusion of the latest Federal Reserve policy-setting meeting.

Germany`s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, voted in favor of several changes to the country�s constitution that would allow for a loosening in fiscal rules and pave the way for new investments on defense and infrastructure. The amendments now go to Germany�s Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament, for a scheduled vote on Friday.

The Bank of England is widely expected to hold interest rates when it meets on Thursday, as the U.K. faces economic headwinds both at home and abroad.

Most Asian stocks ended higher, amid persistent cheer over more stimulus measures in China. However, investors remained cautious about potential further tariff actions by U.S. President Donald Trump, who reiterated threats of reciprocal trade tariffs beginning in early April. Additionally, attention was focused on negotiations for a U.S.-brokered Russia-Ukraine peace deal.

The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady at 0.5%, as expected, citing the need to assess the impact of potential U.S. tariffs on Japan�s export-driven economy.

Japan�s trade balance increased less than anticipated in February, amid heightened concerns regarding U.S. trade tariffs. Trade balance rose to a surplus of 584.5 billion yen ($3.91 billion), according to government data released on Wednesday. The print improved from a deficit of 2.76 trillion yen in January. The softer surplus was largely due to weaker-than-expected export growth. Exports grew 11.4% year-on-year, up from the 7.3% pace seen in January.

Traders are keeping a close eye on interest rate decisions by the U.S. Federal Reserve later in the day.

U.S. indices declined on Tuesday, as a two-day rebound from six-month lows largely dissipated. Tech losses contributed to the decline, as did ongoing concerns regarding higher Trump tariffs and a potential recession. At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.62%, while the S&P 500 index declined 1.07%, and the NASDAQ Composite index fell 1.71%.

Trump reiterated his threats to enforce reciprocal tariffs against major U.S. trading partners from April 2. He also reiterated plans for automobile and commodity tariffs. Trump has warned of some near-term economic turbulence as he carries out his agenda. Investors fear that trade-related disruptions will undermine U.S. economic growth.

Among tech decliners, NVIDIA Corporation declined by more than 3%, continuing a recent downturn, despite CEO Jensen Huang`s statement that the chipmaker is well-positioned to capitalize on the shift in artificial intelligence toward inference from training. The stock fell 0.6% in after-hours trading.

Tesla Inc. recovered 1.2% in after-hours trading, following a 5.3% decline during the session, amid ongoing concerns regarding slowing sales, a deteriorating brand image, and growing public outrage over CEO Elon Musk�s interactions with the Trump administration.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Steel makers like Steel Authority of India (up 4%), Tata Steel (up 2.52%), JSW Steel (up 1.33%), Jindal Stainless (up 1.15%) and Jindal Steel & Power (up 0.25%) surged after the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) recommended a 12% safeguard duty on certain steel imports to curb the influx. The DGTR suggests this is a temporary duty for 200 days to protect the domestic industry from serious injury.

Vodafone Idea gained 5% after rolling out 5G services in its Mumbai circle.

Mahindra Lifespace Developers rose 5%. The company`s material subsidiary, Mahindra World City Developers (MWCDL), executed a lease deed with Nihon Parkerizing India on 18 March 2025, for a land admeasuring 18.92 acres at Thenmelpakkam Village, Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu.

Bajaj Auto rose 1.64% after the company`s board approved the re-appointment of Rajivnayan Rahulkumar Bajaj as the managing director (MD) & chief executive officer (CEO) for a period of five years, effective from 1 April 2025.

UltraTech Cement rose 2.01% after the company said that it commissioned a combined capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) at its Hirmi plant, Chhattisgarh, and Roorkee unit, Uttarakhand, as part of its capacity expansion programs.

G R Infraprojects soared 8.98% after the company received a letter of acceptance (LoA) from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for a highway project worth Rs 4,262.78 crore.

Zydus Lifesciences added 0.72%. The firm said that it has received final approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) to manufacture Apalutamide tablets, 60 mg.

Capri Global Capital advanced 1.82% after the company�s subsidiary, Capri Loans Car Platform (CLCPPL), partnered with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to drive skill development and employment opportunities.

KPI Green Energy jumped 4.59% after it secured a Rs 272 crore final sanction from the national bank for financing infrastructure and development (NaBFID) to fund a 50 MW hybrid project in Bharuch, Gujarat, with 75.2 MWp solar and 16.95 MW wind capacity

Atishay gained 3.36% after the company secured a Rs 27.64 lakh work order to supply micro ATMs to The Udaipur Central Cooperative Bank in Rajasthan.

Larsen & Toubro added 1.46% after the company�s board of directors announced that it will meet on 21 March 2025 to consider a proposal for fundraising through a debt issue.

Aurobindo Pharma rose 2.16% after its subsidiary, Apitoria Pharma, received an establishment inspection report (EIR) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) facility in Telangana.

Marksans Pharma advanced 2.29% after the company�s wholly owned subsidiary in the UK, Relonchem, has received marketing authorization for Baclofen Tablets from the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Steel Exchange India rallied 3.79% after the company increased the production capacities of billet mill and rolling bar mill at its plant located at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP).

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