Indian equity benchmarks settled significantly higher on Friday, with both the Nifty and Sensex closing near day’s high points, supported by strong global cues and a rally in banking stocks. Markets made an optimistic start and maintained their upward momentum throughout the session amid optimism surrounding US-Iran peace talks, which are expected to ease tensions in West Asia. 

Some of the important factors in trade:

India well-positioned to tackle global energy crisis: Traders took encouragement with the World Bank’s statement that 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. 

ADB projects India's GDP to grow 6.9% in FY27, 7.3% in FY28: Sentiments remained up-beat as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected India's GDP growth to remain ‘robust’ at 6.9 per cent in the current fiscal, and rise to 7.3 per cent in next fiscal driven by strong domestic demand, and supported by easing financing conditions and lower US tariffs on Indian goods.  

India constantly demonstrates remarkable resilience amid global turbulence: Some support also came with Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Shaktikanta Das’ statement that India has consistently shown remarkable resilience during global crises, not only surviving them but also transforming through the turbulence to emerge stronger. 

On the global front: European markets were trading in green, while Asian markets ended higher after private report indicated that Israel’s prime minister authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon that eased worries that the two-week ceasefire announced late on Tuesday may already be in trouble because of Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon. 

The BSE Sensex ended at 77550.25, up by 918.60 points or 1.20% after trading in a range of 76851.16 and 77622.50. There were 25 stocks advancing against 5 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Auto up by 2.75%, Capital Goods up by 2.27%, Consumer Durables up by 2.20%, Industrials up by 2.19% and Consumer Discretionary up by 2.18% while, IT down by 1.70% and TECK down by 1.10% were the only losing indices on BSE. (Provisional)

The top gainers on the Sensex were Asian Paints up by 3.84%, ICICI Bank up by 3.13%, Mahindra & Mahindra up by 3.05%, Interglobe Aviation up by 2.77% and SBI up by 2.51%. On the flip side, Sun Pharma down by 3.60%, Infosys down by 2.97%, TCS down by 2.52%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.60% and HCL Technologies down by 0.90% were the top losers. (Provisional)

Meanwhile, deepening cooperation, India and the United States (US) have agreed to further their cooperation under Pax Silica and broader economic and technology engagements, including in AI and critical minerals. The issues figured were during discussions between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob S Helberg. Earlier in February 2026, India formally joined Pax Silica on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit, expanding its technology cooperation with the US. Pax Silica brings strategic partnerships and coordinated action across every layer of the supply chain.

The Foreign Secretary is on a three-day visit to the US to review the bilateral relationship, particularly in trade and defence sectors. Further, he interacted with experts from think tanks on the India-US relations and the ongoing geopolitical developments and their implications on global energy, food and economic security.

Meanwhile, India's merchandise exports to the US declined 12.88% year-on-year to $6.88 billion in February 2026 impacted by high tariffs imposed by the US.  Exports to the US also contracted in September, October, December last year and January this year, before rebounding 22.61% in November. In contrast, imports from the US have grown by 36.53% to $4.48 billion in February.

The CNX Nifty ended at 24050.60, up by 275.50 points or 1.16% after trading in a range of 23856.35 and 24074.05. There were 42 stocks advancing against 8 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gainers on Nifty were Asian Paints up by 4.01%, Eicher Motors up by 3.87%, ICICI Bank up by 3.17%, Shriram Finance up by 3.14% and Bajaj Auto up by 3.12%. On the flip side, Coal India down by 4.40%, Sun Pharma down by 3.62%, Infosys down by 2.94%, TCS down by 2.50% and Tech Mahindra down by 1.46% were the top losers. (Provisional)

European markets were trading higher; Germany’s DAX gained 140.61 points or 0.59% to 23,947.60, France’s CAC rose 46.7 points or 0.57% to 8,292.50 and UK’s FTSE 100 increased 36.24 points or 0.34% to 10,639.72.