Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, opened in the green on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, amid positive global cues and easing crude oil prices. While the 30-share BSE Sensex gained 323.83 points to start the session at 75,826.68, the Nifty added 84.4 points to open at 23,493.20. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 75,502.85 and the Nifty 50 at 23,408.80. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the green in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index added 43.68 points, or 0.28 per cent, in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap Select Index was up by 26.93 points or 0.37 per cent, to trade at 7,211.29.ย
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From the Sensex pack, Tata Steel, Eternal, ICICI Bank, BEL, and Kotak Bank were among the gainers, with Tata Steel leading the pack by gaining 0.75 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, Infosys, HCL Tech, Adani Ports, UltraTech Cement and Hindustan Unilever were among the losers with Infosys shedding 1.22 per cent in the opening trade.
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In early trade, market breadth was positive, with 1,507 stocks advancing against 976 stocks declining on the NSE. 77 stocks remained unchanged.
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“For day traders, 23,300/75200 and 23,200/75000 would act as key support zones. As long as the market is trading above these levels, the pullback formation is likely to continue. On the higher side, 23,650/76000 and 23,800/76500 would serve as key resistance areas for the bulls. Conversely, below 23,200/75000, the uptrend would become vulnerable. If that level is breached, the market could retest the levels of 23,000โ22,950/74300-74000,” said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities.
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What did Gift Nifty indicate?ย
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Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a positive start as it opened with a gain of 162 points at 23,547.5, compared to the previous close of 23,385.50. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continued to sell and offloaded equities worth Rs 9,365.5 crore. However, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) provided strong support by purchasing equities of Rs 12,593.36 crore.
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Asian Markets Today
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Asian stocks rebounded today as a drop in oil prices has helped the US stock market recover. While Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 171.85 points or 0.32 per cent to trade at 53,923, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up by 218.98 points. Similarly, South Korea’s Kospi traded in the green with a gain of 133.60 points. However, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index was down by 1.76 points or 0.04 per cent.ย ย