Sensex ends 260 points higher on FII buying, hopes of India-US trade deal
Mumbai, May 2 (PTI): BSE benchmark index Sensex ended 260 points higher on Friday buoyed by optimism surrounding a potential India-US trade deal, record high GST collection in April, and continuous foreign fund inflows.
Moreover, a firm trend in global markets also added to the positive momentum in domestic equities.
After a sharp rally in intra-day trade the 30-share BSE benchmark gauge later trimmed most of the gains and settled 259.75 points or 0.32 per cent higher at 80,501.99. During the day, the benchmark jumped 935.69 points or 1.16 per cent to 81,177.93.
In a volatile trade, the NSE Nifty eked out a marginal gain of 12.50 points or 0.05 per cent to settle at 24,346.70.
"The Nifty-50 surged over 1 per cent during today's session, hitting a high of 24,589 -- its highest level in CY25. However, profit-booking set in, causing the index to pare gains and close marginally higher. Optimism prevails in market sentiments over potential India-US trade deal, sustained foreign fund inflows and record high GST collection in April," Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, said.
From the Sensex firms, Adani Ports jumped over 4 per cent after the firm reported a 50 per cent jump in its March quarter net profit and issued a higher year-on-year revenue growth forecast for the current fiscal, citing strong growth in port volumes and a robust rise in the logistics business.
Bajaj Finance, IndusInd Bank, State Bank of India, Maruti, Tata Motors, ITC, Tata Steel and Reliance Industries were also among the gainers.
Nestle, NTPC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Power Grid and Titan were among the laggards.
"Markets were extremely volatile in the first half and gyrated nearly 1,000 points before turning range-bound to end higher due to selective buying in banking and IT stocks. After the recent upsurge, investors resorted to profit-taking with broader markets ending weak. Due to the fragile global environment amid geopolitical tensions and the ongoing tariff war, investors are not betting big on equities," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.
The BSE midcap gauge declined 0.41 per cent and smallcap index dipped 0.07 per cent.
Among sectoral indices, services jumped 1.67 per cent, oil & gas (0.69 per cent), energy (0.57 per cent), BSE Focused IT (0.49 per cent) and IT (0.45 per cent).
Telecommunication declined 2.06 per cent, consumer durables (1.66 per cent), power (0.96 per cent), utilities (0.93 per cent), metal (0.62 per cent) and realty (0.56 per cent).
According to Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, the recent rally triggered profit-booking and rotation across sectors from broad indices to IT stocks. "Nevertheless, renewed momentum in US-China trade negotiations and a weakening dollar are seen as positive drivers for EMs like India in the medium-term."
Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection rose 12.6 per cent Y-o-Y to an all-time high of about Rs 2.37 lakh crore in April, which the government said shows the resilience of the Indian economy and the effectiveness of cooperative federalism.
Meanwhile, the growth momentum in the Indian manufacturing sector improved in April, with output increasing at the fastest pace since June 2024, on the back of another strong expansion in order books, a monthly survey said on Friday.
The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose from 58.1 in March to 58.2 in April, indicating the strongest improvement in the health of the sector for ten months.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi index, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng settled in the positive territory while Shanghai SSE Composite index ended marginally lower.
European markets were trading higher. US markets ended in the positive zone on Thursday.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.82 per cent to USD 61.62 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 50.57 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
Equity markets were closed on Thursday for 'Maharashtra Day'.
The Sensex declined 46.14 points or 0.06 per cent to settle at 80,242.24 on Wednesday. The Nifty ended marginally lower by 1.75 points or 0.01 per cent at 24,334.20.
On the weekly front, the BSE benchmark jumped 1,289.46 points or 1.62 per cent, and the Nifty climbed 307.35 points or 1.27 per cent.
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Oppn, X users flag concerns over US envoy Sergio Gor’s visit to Army’s western command
New Delhi: A visit by the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, to Chandigarh on Monday has triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders and social media users, raising questions about national security and foreign policy.
On X, Ambassador Gor announced his visit, writing, “Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army.”
Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) February 16, 2026
Soon after, opposition voices questioned the broader implications of the visit. Congress Kerala, in a post, commented, “Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings. Didn't they say then ‘Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?’ Compared to that, this is very small.”
Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings.
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) February 16, 2026
Didn't they say then "Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?"
Compared to that, this is very small. pic.twitter.com/gNNuAGQBPC
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also weighed in, writing, “Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that.”
She further added, “India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to know from their own government. US Ambassador is doing the job for his nation, who is doing for us? The answer is blowing in the wind.”
Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that. India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to… pic.twitter.com/rYMq5NhJHA
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) February 16, 2026
The visit comes against the backdrop of the growing US-India defence partnership.
Writer and political analyst @rajuparulekar commented on ‘X’, “East India Company is back!”
“Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in india?” asked another user.
Several X users expressed concerns over the appropriateness of the visit.
One asked, “Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in India?” Another wrote, “Why an ambassador visiting our army places? To talk to Chandigarh lobby for F-35?”
Why an ambassador visiting our army places ? To talk to chandigarh lobby for f-35 ??
— Rohan Sagar (@RohanSagar03) February 16, 2026
“We have completely sold Indian sovereignty. Rothschild the evil Bankers will now control NSE. Modi sold Bharat Mata to Trump . And now American imperialist is visiting our army command . Scary,” wrote another user.
“The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?,” opined another.
The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?
— Aditya Pratap Singh (@Adi_IIMCIAN) February 16, 2026
On Sunday, Gor welcomed Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), highlighting efforts to expand the growing US-India defence partnership.
In a post on X, Gor wrote, “Delighted to have @INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo in India to expand the U.S.-India defense partnership. Now is the time to strengthen vital cooperation between our two nations.”
On Monday, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr visited the headquarters of India’s Western Army Command along with the American envoy Sergio Gor. The delegation was briefed on the formation’s capabilities, its past operations, and future plans.
The American delegation also visited Bengaluru, where they met three start-ups, two in the space sector and one in defence, and participated in an Indo-US conference.
