Sensex surges over 1,700 points, Nifty tops 22,800 as global risk sentiment rebounds

Indian equity markets staged a powerful rebound on Wednesday, with benchmark indices rallying sharply in early trade, tracking a global risk-on sentiment after signs of a potential de-escalation in the West Asia conflict.

The BSE Sensex jumped 1,706.39 points, or 2.37 per cent, to 73,653.94 around 9:17 am, after opening significantly higher at 73,762.43. The index touched an intraday high of 73,847.08, reflecting broad-based buying across sectors.

The Nifty 50 also surged 512.50 points, or 2.29 per cent, to 22,843.90, with 49 out of 50 constituents trading in the green—signalling strong market breadth.

The rally comes after a sharp correction in March, when Indian equities fell more than 11 per cent amid elevated crude prices and heavy foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows. Investors had remained cautious as the West Asia conflict threatened to push oil prices higher and stoke inflation in the world’s third-largest crude importer.

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However, sentiment turned decisively positive after US President Donald Trump said Washington could end its military operations against Iran within two to three weeks, easing fears of prolonged geopolitical disruption. Brent crude prices also stabilised near $105 per barrel, reducing immediate pressure on inflation expectations.

Global cues remained supportive, with Asian markets rallying sharply and US equity futures trading higher, reflecting optimism that the conflict may not escalate further.

Back home, the rally was led by strong gains in heavyweight and cyclical stocks. Shares of Trent Ltd surged nearly 6 per cent, emerging as the top gainer on the Sensex. Defence major Bharat Electronics Ltd climbed over 4 per cent, while Bajaj Finance and Larsen & Toubro gained around 3–4 per cent each.

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Aviation and infrastructure-linked stocks also saw strong buying interest, with InterGlobe Aviation rising more than 3.5 per cent and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone advancing over 3 per cent.

Broader participation was visible across sectors, including financials and IT. Banking heavyweights such as State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank gained between 2–3 per cent, while IT majors Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services also traded firmly in positive territory.

Auto and consumption stocks added to the momentum, with Maruti Suzuki India and Titan Company posting solid gains.

Market participants said the sharp rebound reflects a combination of global relief and technical recovery after the steep March sell-off.

Earlier in the day, GIFT Nifty futures had signalled a strong start, trading above the previous close of the domestic benchmarks, in line with gains across Asian markets.

Despite the sharp upmove, analysts caution that volatility may persist, as the trajectory of the West Asia conflict remains uncertain and foreign investor flows continue to be a key monitorable.