In a volatile trading session, Indian markets trimmed some of their gains but continued to trade in green during early afternoon session. Buying in Energy and Metal sector’s stocks kept the markets in green. Besides, positive cues from overseas markets also helped the markets to trade higher. Despite the intensifying conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, sentiments remained positive. Traders took note of Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal’s statement that there is significant export potential for Indian firms in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, agriculture and services in Japan. The commerce ministry said Agrawal was in Tokyo to attend the Joint Committee Meeting under the India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). On the global front, all Asian markets were trading higher following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 79487.80, up by 371.61 points or 0.47% after trading in a range of 79217.14 and 79680.66. There were 16 stocks advancing against 14 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Energy up by 2.09%, Metal up by 2.03%, Utilities up by 1.93%, Power up by 1.80% and Oil & Gas was up by 1.67%, while IT down by 0.96%, TECK down by 0.44% and FMCG was down by 0.12% were the few losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Bharat Electronics up by 3.68%, NTPC up by 3.01%, Reliance Industries up by 2.91%, Larsen & Toubro up by 2.71% and Power Grid up by 2.02%. On the flip side, Eternal down by 2.22%, HCL Tech down by 1.51%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.33%, SBI down by 1.28% and TCS down by 0.92% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, a report released by the Federation ‌of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) has said that India’s retail vehicle sales grew 25.62% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to 24.09 lakh units in the month of February 2026. FADA has attributed this growth to the policy-led confidence in the market, particularly after GST 2.0 which is now translating into sustained demand across multiple vehicle segments. Besides, the Two-Wheeler sales during the month were reported at 17,00,505 units, a YoY growth of 25.02% with Urban and Rural markets’ sales growing 28.96% Y-o-Y and 22.16% Y-o-Y, respectively. This performance was attributed to improved rural liquidity following good crop outcomes and attractive marketing schemes. 

Moreover, the Passenger Vehicle retails increased 26.12% Y-o-Y to 3,94,768 units in February 2026 with sales in Urban markets growing 21.12% Y-o-Y, while Rural markets surged 34.21% Y-o-Y, indicating a strong continued demand beyond metros. Further, the marriage season and healthy booking pipelines supported by new model introductions aided demand during the month. During the month, Commercial Vehicle retail sales rose 28.89% Y-o-Y to 1,00,820 units with improved freight availability, steady e-commerce activity and infrastructure-linked demand supporting fleet additions. Meanwhile, Three-Wheelers retail sales grew 24.39% Y-o-Y to 1,17,130 units in February 2026.

Looking forward, FADA noted that dealer sentiment for the month of March 2026 remains largely positive, and demand is likely to be supported by the confluence of multiple festivals such as Navratri, Ramzan, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa and Eid, along with the financial year-end buying cycle, which traditionally accelerates vehicle purchases across segments. It added that strong booking pipelines, improved agri incomes and post-examination demand are expected to support two-wheeler, while passenger vehicles may benefit from year-end depreciation advantages, festival-led enquiries and customers advancing purchases ahead of potential price revisions.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24619.15, up by 138.65 points or 0.57% after trading in a range of 24530.05 and 24672.80. There were 25 stocks advancing against 25 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Hindalco up by 5.16%, Coal India up by 4.60%, Bharat Electronics up by 3.66%, NTPC up by 3.02% and Reliance Industries up by 2.97%. On the flip side, Eternal down by 2.25%, HDFC Life Insurance down by 1.72%, HCL Tech down by 1.55%, Adani Enterprises down by 1.39% and Tech Mahindra down by 1.38% were the top losers.

All Asian markets were trading higher; Nikkei 225 surged 1038.46 points or 1.88% to 55,284.00, Taiwan Weighted added 844.06 points or 2.51% to 33,672.94, KOSPI increased 490.36 points or 8.78% to 5,583.90, Jakarta Composite gained 123.44 points or 1.63% to 7,700.50, Hang Seng advanced 111.52 points or 0.44% to 25,361.00, Straits Times rose 29.36 points or 0.61% to 4,842.11 and Shanghai Composite was up by 26.76 points or 0.66% to 4,109.23.