Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid the likely resumption of ceasefire talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan, Indian bourses, facing unprecedented volatility for weeks, reacted positively on Wednesday with benchmark indices rising over 1.6 percent.
As US President Donald Trump said the Iran war is ‘close to over,’ the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 1,263.67 points (1.64 per cent) to settle at 78,111.24. During the day, it zoomed 1,422.85 points or 1.85 per cent to 78,270.42.
The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 388.65 points (1.63 per cent) to end at 24,231.30.
Among the 30-Sensex firms, InterGlobe Aviation, Eternal, Power Grid, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services, and Larsen & Toubro were the major gainers.
Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank were the laggards.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading at USD 95.74 per barrel, up by 1.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, India’s wholesale price inflation rose to 3.88 per cent in March, highest in over 3 years
The Indian Rupee settled 9 paise lower at 93.44 against the US dollar.
In related developments, India’s exports surged by 4.22 per cent to USD 860.09 billion in 2025-26, while imports rose at a faster pace of 6.47 per cent to around USD 970 billion, leading to a widening of the overall trade deficit, according to data shared by Union Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal.
The total exports stood at USD 860.09 billion in 2025-26 compared to USD 825.26 billion in 2024-25. Imports increased from USD 919.92 billion in the previous financial year to around USD 970 billion in 2025-26.
As a result, the overall trade deficit (merchandise and services combined) widened to USD 119.30 billion in 2025-26 from USD 94.66 billion in 2024-25.