Markets Rally as Tariff Relief Hopes Surface; Nifty Crosses Key Averages

On 15th April 2025, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) witnessed active participation with 3,009 stocks traded. Among them, 2,547 stocks advanced, 377 declined, and 85 remained unchanged, indicating a positive market breadth.

Market Update at 4:00 PM: Indian equity indices closed in the green on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at more tariff exemptions.

The Sensex closed almost 1,550 points or 2.07 per cent higher at 76,617, while the Nifty 50 closed 500 points or 2.19 per cent higher at 23,328. The index is trading below 200-DEMA but crossed above 20 and 50-DEMA. The Nifty Bank outperformed frontline indices, closed 1,377 points higher and settled at 52,379, mirroring benchmark indices. 

On the NSE, the benchmark index Nifty 50 recorded a 38.82 crore volume, whereas the last 20-day average volume stands at 36.81 crore. In the last three trading sessions Nifty 50 has gained 4.15 per cent.

Broader indices traded with gains, where Nifty Mid-Cap jumped by 2.92 per cent, while Nifty Small-Cap ended higher by 3.08 per cent. India VIX traded near 16 mark and was down by 19 per cent during the day.

On the sectoral front, all sectors recorded gains, with Nifty realty, up more than 4 per cent, being the top-gaining sector. 

On 15th April 2025, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) witnessed active participation with 3,009 stocks traded. Among them, 2,547 stocks advanced, 377 declined, and 85 remained unchanged, indicating a positive market breadth. A total of 48 stocks touched their 52-week highs, while 18 stocks hit their 52-week lows. Additionally, 187 stocks were locked in their upper circuit limits, whereas 32 stocks hit their lower circuits, reflecting strong buying interest in certain segments.

In terms of turnover, the equity segment recorded a trading volume of 341.02 crore shares with a total value of Rs 1,01,747.66 crore. The equity derivatives segment showed a volume of 6.25 crore contracts, amounting to a turnover of Rs 1,62,555.35 crore. Open interest in equity derivatives stood at 2.11 crore contracts. The data highlights strong market activity, especially in the derivatives space.

Market Update at 2:30 PM: The benchmark BSE Sensex was up 2.2 per cent to 76,828, while the broader NSE Nifty 50 rose 2.2 per cent to 23,339 after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at more tariff exemptions.

India's wholesale price index (WPI), a key measure of inflation, provisionally eased to 2.05% year-on-year in March from 2.38 per cent recorded in February, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday.

The inflation rate in March 2024 was lower at 0.26 per cent. WPI Food Index inflation eased to 4.66 per cent in March from 5.94 per cent in February, as the index declined to 188.8 from 189.0 in the previous month.

On Tuesday, small and midcap stocks traded with gains, holding broader market indices into positive territory. The Nifty Small-cap index surged by almost 2.46 per cent, while the Nifty Mid-cap index was up over 2.89 per cent during mid-day trade.

Meanwhile, the India VIX was trading near the 16 mark, down by 19 per cent.

On the sectoral front, all sectors recorded gains, with Nifty Realty, up more than 4.5 per cent, being the top-gaining sector. 

A total of 2,966 stocks were traded on the exchange. Out of these, 2,526 stocks advanced, 350 declined, and 90 remained unchanged. There were 41 stocks that touched their 52-week high, while 16 stocks hit their 52-week low. Additionally, 163 stocks were locked in the upper circuit, whereas 31 stocks hit the lower circuit.

Market Update at 12:00 PM: Indian stock markets climbed on Tuesday, aligning with a global rebound after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at possible tariff relief. This move lifted domestic indices closer to recovering all the ground lost since the tariff announcement earlier this month.

During early trading hours, both the Nifty and Sensex crossed their April 2 closing levels of 23,332.35 and 76,617.44, respectively, benchmarks not seen since the U.S. introduced steep retaliatory tariffs impacting nations including India.

By 11:45 a.m. IST, the Nifty 50 was trading higher by 2.1 per cent to 23,300, while the Sensex advanced 2.09 per cent to 76,726.08.

Even as Indian markets rebounded sharply, broader Asian markets remained in the red.

By midday, the top gaining stocks that lifted Nifty 50 higher were HDFC Bank (+107.88 pts), ICICI Bank (+55.16 pts), and Larsen & Toubro (+34.87 pts). On the other hand, Nestle India (-0.43 pts) and Hindustan Unilever (-1.11 pts) were among the stocks putting downward pressure on the index.

On Tuesday, overall market breadth remained positive, as 2,397 stocks advanced while 306 declined. The Nifty Mid-cap 100 and Nifty Small-cap 100 indices were trading in green, where Nifty Mid-caps were up by 1.97 per cent, and Nifty Small-cap was up by 2.68 per cent

On the sectoral front, all sectors recorded gains, with Nifty Realty, up more than 4 per cent, being the top-gaining sector. 

Currently, 35 stocks are trading at their 52-week high, and 13 stocks are at their 52-week low. On the NSE, 133 stocks have hit their upper circuit, while 33 stocks are locked in their lower circuit.

Market Update at 09:40 AM: Indian benchmark indices opened on a strong note Tuesday following a long weekend, supported by positive cues from global markets. The uptrend came after U.S. President Donald Trump excluded electronic items like smartphones and computers from hefty reciprocal tariffs, prompting a relief rally worldwide.

As of 09:18 a.m. IST, the Nifty 50 climbed 1.98 per cent to 23,279.05, while the BSE Sensex advanced 2 per cent to 76,656. Indian stock markets remained closed on Monday due to a local holiday.

At the opening bell, all 13 key sectoral indices were trading in the green. Financials, which carry significant weight in the index, rose by 2.2 per cent. Broader indices, including small-cap and mid-cap stocks, also moved up, gaining 1.3 per cent each.

Trump had previously announced broad-based tariffs on all imports into the U.S., but over the weekend, he delayed the implementation of these duties for 90 days for several countries, excluding China. The easing stance led to improved investor sentiment globally.

Pre-Market Update at 8:15 AM: Indian equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty 50, are likely to start Tuesday's session on a positive note, taking cues from a global market rebound. The upbeat sentiment comes after the US decided to exclude smartphones and computers from its latest round of tariff hikes.

Gift Nifty was trading around the 23,305 level, a premium of nearly 387 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a gap-up start for the Indian stock market indices.

U.S. markets closed on a strong note Monday, boosted by gains in tech stocks following the White House's decision to exclude smartphones and computers from the latest round of tariffs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 312.08 points, or 0.78 per cent, to settle at 40,524.79. The S&P 500 rose 42.61 points, or 0.79 per cent, finishing at 5,405.97, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 107.03 points, or 0.64 per cent, ending the session at 16,831.48.

The U.S. government has granted tariff exemptions for smartphones, computers, and several electronics, many of which are sourced from China. These exemptions also remove these products from the 10 per cent "baseline" tariffs that apply to imports from most other countries, which helps reduce costs on items like semiconductors from Taiwan and Apple iPhones manufactured in India.

Meanwhile, Raphael Bostic, President of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, remarked that uncertainty around the Trump administration’s tariff strategies and related policies has led to a "significant pause" in the economy. According to him, both households and businesses are holding back on major investments. As a result, he believes the Federal Reserve should maintain its current stance until more policy clarity emerges, as reported by Reuters.

Asian markets moved higher on Tuesday, taking cues from a strong overnight performance on Wall Street, where technology stocks led the rally after former U.S. President Trump announced tariff exemptions on smartphones and computers.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced by 1.15 per cent, and the Topix index climbed 1.16 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi rose by 0.39 per cent, though the Kosdaq slipped 0.32 per cent. Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also pointed towards a positive start.

On Friday, Indian equity markets witnessed a sharp surge following an announcement by US President Donald Trump regarding a 90-day suspension of the 26 per cent tariffs on India. The Sensex climbed 1,310.11 points, marking a 1.77 per cent rise to end the day at 75,157.26. Meanwhile, the Nifty 50 advanced by 429.40 points, or 1.92 per cent, closing at 22,828.55.

Gold prices edged higher as investors remained cautious amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding Trump’s tariff policies and their possible effects on global markets. Spot gold inched up by 0.1 per cent to USD 3,211.49 per ounce, following its previous session’s all-time high of USD 3,245.42. Meanwhile, US gold futures also registered a 0.1 per cent gain, reaching USD 3,227.90.

Crude oil prices also moved upward, supported by newly announced tariff exemptions and a recovery in China’s crude imports, likely driven by expectations of reduced Iranian supply. Brent crude futures increased by 0.42 per cent to USD 65.15 a barrel, and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude matched the gain, climbing to USD 61.79 per barrel.

On April 11, 2025, foreign institutional investors (FII) sold shares worth Rs 2,519.03 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DII) bought shares worth Rs 3,759.27 crore.

Stocks that are banned for trading in the F&O segment on April 15, 2025, are Birlasoft Ltd, Hindustan Copper Ltd, Manappuram Finance Ltd, and National Aluminium Co Ltd.

Disclaimer: The article is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.