Last Updated on April 18, 2026 12:09 am by BIZNAMA NEWS
By Our Business Correspondent
Domestic equity markets ended the week on a firm note, buoyed by easing geopolitical tensions and softer crude prices. The Nifty reclaimed the 24,350 mark, while the Sensex closed above 78,400, reflecting improved investor sentiment.
Key Highlights of the Week
Indices Performance
- Sensex: Up 504.86 points (0.65%) to 78,493.54.
- Nifty 50: Advanced 156.80 points (0.65%) to 24,353.55.
- MidCap & SmallCap: Outperformed with gains of 1.26% and 1.52% respectively.
Sectoral Trends
- Winners: FMCG, energy, and metals led the rally.
- Laggards: IT and pharma remained subdued.
Market Breadth
- Strong participation: 3,043 shares advanced, 1,284 declined.
- India VIX: Dropped 4.86% to 17.21, signaling reduced volatility.
Global Cues
- Geopolitics: Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and optimism around U.S.-Iran talks cooled oil prices.
- Crude Oil: Brent slipped below $97 per barrel, easing inflationary concerns.
- Wall Street: S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs on hopes of conflict resolution.
- Europe: Indices traded higher despite lingering tensions.
- Asia: Mixed performance, reflecting cautious optimism.
Currency & Commodities
- Rupee: Weakened to 92.85 against the dollar.
- Gold Futures (June 2026): Down 0.09% to Rs 153,012.
- Brent Crude (June 2026): Fell 3.39% to $96.02 per barrel.
Corporate Action & Listings
- Om Power Transmission: Listed at Rs 181.10, closed at Rs 190.15, an 8.66% premium.
- Apollo Micro Systems: Surged 16.78% after securing defence manufacturing licence.
- Bajaj Consumer Care: Net profit up 105% YoY.
- VST Industries: Profit doubled YoY.
- Waaree Renewable Technologies: Revenue surged 131% YoY.
- Angel One: PAT jumped 83.49% YoY.
- CRISIL: Profit rose 45.93% YoY.
- Kolte-Patil Developers: Sales value up 18% QoQ.
- Rail Vikas Nigam: Won Rs 968 crore infrastructure contract.
- KPI Green Energy: Received inter-state power trading licence.
- Alok Industries: Net loss widened to Rs 192.54 crore.
- Madhya Bharat Agro Products: PAT quadrupled YoY.
- Karbonsteel Engineering: Secured Rs 101 crore new orders