Indian stock market staged a sharp recovery, with Sensex and Nifty erasing morning losses to snap a four-session losing streak, led by a strong surge in IT stocks including heavyweight TCS, Infosys, HCL Tech and Tech Mahindra.

Sensex jumped 383 points to close at 74,650, while Nifty 50 gained 101 points to end the session at 23,484. This came as India VIX, which measures volatility in markets, tumbled more than 7% to 15.32.

TCS shares rallied nearly 7% to lead gains on Sensex, while Infosys shares jumped more than 5%. HCL Technologies shares meanwhile surged over 4%. On the other hand, NTPC, Axis Bank, Power Grid, Bajaj Finserv and others fell up to 3% to lead losses.

The optimism was broad-based, with Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices also closing in the green. Sectorally, Nifty IT led gains with a 4% jump. Nifty Pharma meanwhile fell around 1%. Nearly 2,034 stocks advanced on NSE, while 1,285 declined and 107 remained unchanged.

“Markets recovered from initial losses, led by gains in the IT sector, while continued accumulation in large-cap stocks reflected comfort with valuations, as the Nifty 50 trades closer to its long-term averages than the relatively richer valuations in broader markets,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments. He added that despite ongoing delays in a Middle East truce, global sentiment remained stable, highlighting resilience in risk appetite. With the earnings season largely concluded, investor focus has shifted to key macro factors including monsoon progress, inflation trends, RBI policy, and liquidity conditions, he added.

“The monsoon is expected to advance into southern regions this week, providing near-term sentiment support. While rainfall is projected to be below the long-period average and emerging El Nino risks warrant monitoring, healthy reservoir levels, well above the 10-year average, offer a cushion against potential shortfalls,” according to Nair.

The sharp optimism on Dalal Street came as global stocks rallied, buoyed by fresh AI optimism after Anthropic moved towards a US stock market listing, while oil prices and bond yields fell on renewed hopes of a US-Iran deal. Brent crude futures dropped more than 1% to $94 a barrel after US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were ongoing.Anthropic on Monday said it has confidentially filed for a US initial public offering.. Google parent Alphabet is also seeking to raise $80 billion in equity to fund the expansion of its AI infrastructure.

Foreign investors meanwhile remained net sellers of Indian equities, net selling shares worth nearly Rs 3,912 crore on Dalal Street on Monday. This came after a massive Rs 22,102 crore selloff in just one session on May 29.

Notably, South Korea’s equity market has overtaken India’s as the world’s sixth largest, driven by a relentless surge in chip heavyweights powering the global artificial intelligence buildout.

(With inputs from agencies)
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended the Tuesday session sharply lower, dragged by a fall in bank, oil and gas, and pharma stocks. Investor sentiment reversed from Monday after the U.S. carried out strikes in southern Iran, reviving concerns over a prolonged conflict in the Middle East.

The 30-share Sensex ended at 76,010, down around 479 points or 0.63%, while the Nifty50 closed at 23,933, lower by 98 points or 0.41%. Among the top laggards were HDFC Bank, Trent, TCS, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, and Titan Company. Gainers included Tech Mahindra, Eternal, Maruti Suzuki, and HUL.

Broader markets outperformed frontline indices with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Smallcap 100 indices gaining 0.5% and 0.35%, respectively.

Expert views

Vinod Nair of Geojit Investments said that near-term optimism surrounding a potential U.S.–Iran peace deal faded sharply after U.S. military operations in southern Iran. According to him, the development triggered a spike in crude oil prices and reversed the rupee’s brief appreciation. He noted that the monthly F&O expiry further intensified technical selling pressure in an already risk-off environment, leading domestic equities to end lower.

Nair added that with crude oil prices still lower on a weekly basis, markets continue to factor in a meaningful probability of de-escalation in West Asia.

Global markets

U.S. stock index futures climbed to fresh record highs on Tuesday as investors remained optimistic about ongoing Middle East peace negotiations despite recent military strikes, while continued AI-driven momentum in chip stocks further supported sentiment. Futures linked to the Dow Jones rose 0.48%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures gained 0.52% and 0.77%, respectively.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that negotiations with Iran could take “a few days,” while U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that discussions with Iran were progressing “nicely.”European markets, however, traded mixed on Tuesday, easing slightly after recent gains as rising oil prices and renewed U.S. strikes in southern Iran dampened hopes of an imminent peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

The STOXX Europe 600 slipped 0.2%, though it remained close to its highest level since the start of the conflict. Britain’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.7%, while Germany’s DAX fell 0.7%. The MSCI World Equity Index was largely flat on the day but remained up 3.8% for the month so far.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended 0.25% lower at 64,996.09 after surging 2.87% on Monday to close above the 65,000 mark for the first time, driven by optimism around artificial intelligence-linked stocks. The index has gained 8.95% over the last three sessions, marking its steepest three-day rally in more than six years. Japan’s broader Topix index edged down 0.1% to close at 3,938.46.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s KOSPI continued to benefit from strong technology sector momentum, rising 2.6% to hit a fresh record high.

Crude impact

Brent crude futures neared $100 again after prices rose nearly 4% to extend gains from morning. The surge came after the U.S. military launched strikes in southern Iran, describing the action as defensive in nature. The developments kept markets tense as hopes of a deal to end the ongoing conflict remained uncertain.

The U.S. Central Command said it had carried out strikes on targets in southern Iran, including boats allegedly attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites. According to the military, the strikes were aimed at protecting U.S. troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.

Rupee vs Dollar

The Indian rupee weakened 0.47% to close at 95.68 against the U.S. dollar as of 3:30 p.m. IST on Tuesday, compared with its previous close of 95.23.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

The Indian stock market staged a sharp recovery on Monday, with the Sensex and Nifty rebounding up to 1.5% from intraday lows despite concerns over the rupee hitting fresh record lows and crude oil surging above $110 per barrel.

The market had crashed sharply earlier during the day, with Sensex tumbling more than 1,000 points and Nifty 50 slipping below 23,350. The crash wiped off around Rs 7 lakh crore from the total market capitalisation of all companies listed on BSE.

However, Dalal Street saw bulls making a strong comeback in the afternoon trading hours, with the benchmark indices erasing all losses to move into the green. Sensex rose 1,100 points from its day’s low to close at 75,315 and Nifty 50 gained 333 points from the day’s low to end the session at 23,650. At close, Sensex was up 77 points and Nifty was up 6 points from Friday’s closing levels.

Top gainers and losers today

Tech Mahindra shares were the top gainers on Sensex, jumping around 5%, followed by peer Infosys, which rose around 2.5%. Other top gainers on Sensex included Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Sun Pharma, HCL Tech and TCS. Bucking the trend, Tata Steel, Power Grid, SBI, NTPC, Maruti Suzuki and Trent shares declined up to 3% to lead losses on the benchmark index.

The sharp recovery came despite India VIX, which measures volatility in markets, remaining more than 4% higher at 19.63. Broader markets underperformed benchmarks, with the Nifty Smallcap 100 index closing over 1% lower. Nifty Midcap 100 index erased most of its morning losses but closed 0.15% lower in the red.

Sectorally, the Nifty IT index emerged as the top gainer, jumping over 2%. On the other hand, Nifty PSU Bank, Nifty Consumer Durables and a few other sectoral indices declined around 2% each. Around 2,382 stocks declined on NSE, while 941 advanced and 92 remained unchanged.

FII net buy Indian equities for second day

Foreign investors remained net buyers of Indian equities for the second consecutive session, purchasing Indian shares worth Rs 1,329 crore on Friday, according to provisional data on NSE. FIIs have net bought shares worth Rs 2,430 crore over the two days. However, this is negligible when compared to the massive selloff seen earlier. FII remained net sellers of Indian equities in 7 out of 10 sessions in May so far.

More to come…

Bitcoin has spiked to its highest price level in almost three months, reclaiming $79,000 on the back of new institutional appetite. However, technical analysis shows that this rally is not a reason to celebrate, as it created an imperfection. According to technical analyst TARA, an important macro Fibonacci resistance level is now directly overhead, and Bitcoin might see a strong reaction at this level.

Bitcoin Approaching Macro Resistance Around $80,000

Bitcoin climbed past $79,000 on April 22, hitting an 11-week high following President Trump’s extension of the US-Iran ceasefire. This development removed immediate fears over a resumption of conflict near the Strait of Hormuz, and this was enough to lead to inflows into different investment markets.

The latest analysis from crypto analyst TARA is based on Bitcoin’s interaction with the macro 0.382 Fibonacci resistance, positioned between roughly $79,000 and $81,000. BTC has been climbing in a structured sequence, forming higher highs and higher lows into this resistance zone on the daily candlestick price chart. According to the analyst, BTC’s recent rally is a final approach to a wall, one it has hit before and one she believes it will hit again.

Her chart shows Bitcoin completing what appears to be an ABC corrective wave structure, with the price tagging the top of the (C) wave around the 0.382 Fib level. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $77,655. The projection is that it will reject anywhere between $79,000 and $81,000 before embarking on a large drop to another macro Fib level.

Bitcoin Price Chart. Source: @PrecisionTrade3 On X

Incoming 20% BTC Price Crash

TARA pointed to another technical warning found in a price momentum indicator. The RSI on mid-timeframe charts is already printing bearish divergence, meaning that as price pushes higher, momentum is declining. At the time of the analysis, the indicator was at 65.47 with its signal line at 61.02.

Based on the current setup, TARA expects this divergence to persist into the final push toward resistance. If the RSI continues to flatten or decline while Bitcoin tests the $79,000 to $81,000 range, it would reinforce the idea that the move is running out of momentum. A similar analysis from crypto analyst Michael van de Poppe also acknowledged that the $79,000 level is filled with sell orders that caused the BTC price to fall back lightly.

The downside target is not modest if TARA’s analysis is correct, as the prediction is that Bitcoin will return to at least the macro 0.5 Fibonacci retracement, which is currently situated around $64,500. That would indicate a drop from the resistance zone of roughly 18% to 20%. If the larger corrective structure is fully implemented, then Bitcoin might undergo a full downward move into support levels around $52,000. 

Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

Bitcoin has been making higher highs and higher lows at least twice this month — a pattern that technical traders watch closely as a sign that selling pressure may be fading and a new direction could be forming.

Exchange Outflows Dominate March

For most of March, more Bitcoin has been leaving crypto exchanges than entering them. The exception was a brief spike in inflows just before Bitcoin touched a six-week high of $76,000 on March 17, according to data from CryptoQuant.

Since then, the outflow trend resumed. When coins are withdrawn from exchanges, it typically signals that holders are not planning to sell. Deposits, by contrast, suggest the opposite — investors moving assets onto platforms where they can quickly convert them to cash or stablecoins.

CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost said the data tells a clear story. “This persistent outflow suggests genuine accumulation by investors, who continue to buy and withdraw their BTC from exchange platforms,” he wrote.

It has been one month that BTC outflows from exchanges have largely dominated flows.

While BTC continues its liquidation phase, Netflow has remained negative for almost an entire month.

—> This persistent outflow suggests genuine accumulation by investors, who continue to buy… pic.twitter.com/3ASkuVyBXV

— Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) March 24, 2026

He added that Bitcoin is still working through what he described as a liquidation phase, but the steady outflow has continued regardless.

Accumulation Without A Clear Trend

The buying is real, analysts say, but it has not been strong enough to push Bitcoin out of the tight range it has been trading in for months. Darkfost described the demand as an indication of ongoing accumulation rather than a signal that a major move is imminent.

The range-bound price action, he suggested, is partly a result of this dynamic — investors steadily absorbing supply without enough force to break the market in either direction.

Nick Ruck, director of LVRG Research, said the outflows point to long-term holders building positions rather than short-term traders chasing price. Removing Bitcoin from centralized platforms, he said, shows that holders are not interested in selling to protect against price swings.

That behavior, based on his read of the data, reflects growing confidence in Bitcoin’s underlying fundamentals despite uncertain market conditions.

Sentiment Still Fragile Despite Stabilization Signs

On-chain data firm Glassnode noted in its weekly summary that unrealized losses across the market have eased slightly. The firm called it a modest improvement but stopped short of declaring a recovery, warning that overall sentiment remains strained. Stabilization, its analysts said, is tentative at best.

Bitcoin was trading around $71,215 at the time of publication, up roughly 0.20% on the day.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Indian equities are likely to open sharply lower on Monday after a turbulent end to the week for global markets, with crude oil prices surging, US stocks falling, and the GIFT Nifty indicating a steep decline at the start of trading. Early signals suggest a negative opening as GIFT Nifty was down nearly 300 points, pointing to a weak start for benchmark indices when trading begins on Dalal Street.

The negative cues follow a sharp selloff on Wall Street on Friday, where all three major US indexes closed lower amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and concerns about the health of the American economy.

The Dow Jones fell nearly 1%, posting its steepest weekly decline since April 2025. The S&P 500 dropped 1.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite slid 1.6%. US markets were unsettled by a disappointing US payrolls report that raised fresh concerns about a cooling labour market at a time when rising energy prices threaten to revive inflation pressures.

The bigger shock, however, came from oil markets.

Crude prices jumped sharply after the United States and Israel carried out military strikes on Iran, escalating the conflict in the region and raising fears of prolonged disruptions to global energy supplies. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil trade, was halted amid the tensions.

US crude futures surged more than 12% to above $90 per barrel on Friday, while Brent crude climbed about 8.5% to around $92. Analysts warn that prices could climb further if the conflict intensifies, with some forecasts pointing to oil potentially moving toward the $100 per barrel mark or higher.

Higher oil prices pose a direct risk to India’s markets and economy, given the country’s heavy dependence on imported crude. Rising energy costs tend to push up inflation, widen the current account deficit and pressure corporate margins across several sectors.The global risk-off mood had already weighed heavily on Indian equities last week.

Benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, fell nearly 3% each during the week, marking their biggest weekly drop in more than a year. The selling was widespread, with 41 of the 50 Nifty stocks ending the week in the red, highlighting the broad-based pressure across sectors.

Financial stocks were among the biggest losers as investors reduced exposure to risk assets amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.

The market’s weakness was also reflected in trading patterns through the week. Out of four sessions, the market declined on three sessions and managed to close higher only once, underscoring the cautious sentiment among investors.

Foreign institutional investors selling and a weakening rupee added to the pressure.

Although the market attempted a brief recovery on Thursday, supported by bargain hunting and slightly improved global cues, the rebound was short-lived. Selling resumed in the final trading session as crude prices surged further and global uncertainty intensified.

Technical indicators now suggest that the market is entering a period of heightened volatility.

Pravesh Gour, senior technical analyst at Swastika Investmart, said the Nifty is currently holding an important support level but remains vulnerable to further declines. “Nifty is taking support near 24,300 but remains highly volatile. On the upside, the 24,900-25,000 range is likely to act as an immediate supply zone where selling pressure could emerge if the index attempts a recovery,” Gour said.

He added that a decisive break below the 24,300 level could trigger further downside. “If the index slips below 24,300, the next important support comes near 23,800, which traders will closely monitor,” he said.

Banking stocks may also remain under pressure. According to Gour, the Bank Nifty is currently trading below its 100-day moving average but finding support near the 200-day average. The index faces immediate resistance near the 59,000-59,500 zone, while a break below 57,500 could extend the decline toward 56,700.

Looking ahead, analysts say the direction of equities will largely depend on three key factors: developments in the Middle East conflict, movements in crude oil prices, and foreign investor flows.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)