Indian equity markets are likely to make a positive start on Friday, supported by strong global cues, despite lingering uncertainty over the US-Iran ceasefire. Traders are also likely to closely monitor the resumption of India-US trade talks later this month to discuss the bilateral trade deal agreed in February.

Some of the key factors to be watched:

India, US to boost cooperation in AI, critical minerals under Pax Silica: India and the US have agreed to further their cooperation under Pax Silica and broader economic and technology engagements, including in AI and critical minerals.

India well placed to handle energy shock, backed by strong buffers: The World Bank has said India is well placed to weather the current global energy shock with ample buffers, including high foreign exchange reserves, fiscal space and low inflation, which will support growth despite global headwinds.

India turns crises into opportunity, emerges stronger: Shaktikanta Das, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, said India has consistently shown remarkable resilience during global crises, not only surviving them but also transforming through the turbulence to emerge stronger.

Early signs of stress from West Asia crisis visible across sectors: Industry lobby FICCI in a report on the implications of the West Asia conflict said that early signs of stress are visible across sectors, warranting proactive measures to mitigate immediate risks as well as to build long-term resilience.

RBI ask banks to speed up inward foreign payments with faster alerts one-hour reconciliation: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed banks to streamline their processes for inward cross-border payments to ensure faster customer notification and timely credit to beneficiaries.

On the global front: US markets ended in green on Thursday, supported by optimism around potential peace talks between the United States and Iran. Asian markets are trading higher on Friday, tracking strong cues from Wall Street overnight.

Back home, snapping 5-day gaining streak, Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on Thursday, as renewed tensions in West Asia faded the ceasefire-led optimism. The ceasefire deal appeared to be at risk after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Weak trends in Asian markets, a jump in crude oil prices and uninterrupted foreign fund outflows also drove the markets lower. Finally, the BSE Sensex fell 931.25 points or 1.20% to 76,631.65 and the CNX Nifty was down by 222.25 points or 0.93% to 23,775.10.

 Some of the important factors in trade:

World Bank revises India’s GDP growth projection to 6.6% for FY27: The World Bank, in its South Asia Economic Update April 2026 report, has marginally raised India's growth projections for the fiscal year 2026-27 (FY27) by 30 basis points to 6.6% compared to its October 2025 forecast of 6.3%.

Banks’ asset quality improves with gross NPAs declining to 2%: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has underscored the improvement in asset quality of Indian scheduled commercial banks and said that their gross non-performing assets (NPAs) ratio has declined further to 2% in December 2025. 

Securitisation jumps 9% to hit record high of Rs 2.55 lakh crore in FY26: Crisil Ratings’ report said securitisation deals grew 9 per cent to an all-time high of Rs 2.55 lakh crore in FY26. The January-March quarter alone witnessed a 20 per cent year-on-year jump in activity to take the overall transactions to Rs 65,000 crore.