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Stock Markets April 17, 2026 06:30 AM

Indian Equities Close Higher; Nifty 50 Climbs 0.65% to One-Month Peak

Capital Goods, Power and Public Sector Undertakings lead gains as volatility eases and commodities slide

By Sofia Navarro
Indian Equities Close Higher; Nifty 50 Climbs 0.65% to One-Month Peak

Indian stock indices finished higher on Friday, with the Nifty 50 advancing 0.65% to reach a one-month high and the BSE Sensex 30 also up 0.65%. Sector strength in Capital Goods, Power and Public Sector Undertakings underpinned the rise. Market breadth favored advancers on both the NSE and BSE. Volatility, measured by India VIX, declined to a one-month low while key commodity and currency benchmarks moved lower.

Key Points

  • Nifty 50 rose 0.65% to a one-month high; BSE Sensex 30 also gained 0.65%.
  • Sector gains were led by Capital Goods, Power and Public Sector Undertakings, supporting market-wide advances.
  • Market breadth favored rising issues on both the NSE and BSE; India VIX dropped 5.05% to 17.17, a one-month low.

India's equity markets closed in positive territory on Friday, with gains concentrated in Capital Goods, Power and Public Sector Undertakings stocks.

At the National Stock Exchange close, the Nifty 50 index climbed 0.65% to record a new one-month high. The BSE Sensex 30 index finished the session up 0.65% as well.

Top movers on the Nifty 50

  • Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (NSE:HLL) led gains, rising 4.73% or 101.10 points to trade at 2,240.20 at the close.
  • JSW Steel Ltd (NSE:JSTL) added 2.21% or 26.80 points to finish at 1,241.70.
  • Nestle India Ltd (NSE:NEST) was up 2.20% or 27.70 points to 1,285.10 in late trade.

Lagging names on the Nifty 50

  • Wipro Ltd (NSE:WIPR) fell 2.83% or 5.96 points to close at 204.30.
  • HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd (NSE:HDFL) declined 2.44% or 15.40 points to end at 616.10.
  • Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NSE:SUN) was down 1.06% or 18.00 points to 1,675.10.

BSE Sensex 30 movers

  • Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (BO:HLL) rose 4.70% to 2,240.00.
  • Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (BO:PGRD) gained 1.91% to settle at 318.20.
  • Nestle India Ltd (BO:NEST) added 1.86% to close at 1,282.00.

BSE decliners

  • Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (BO:SUN) was down 1.04% to 1,675.50 in late trade.
  • Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (BO:MAHM) lost 0.60% to settle at 3,202.00.
  • HCL Technologies Ltd (BO:HCLT) fell 0.50% to 1,443.50 at the close.

Market breadth and volatility

On the National Stock Exchange, rising issues outnumbered decliners by 1,852 to 696, while 43 stocks finished unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,827 shares advanced, 1,237 declined and 152 were unchanged.

The India VIX, which reflects implied volatility of Nifty 50 options, fell 5.05% to 17.17, marking a one-month low.

Commodities and currencies

  • Gold Futures for June delivery rose 0.07% or 3.14 to $4,811.44 a troy ounce.
  • Crude oil for May delivery fell 3.84% or 3.64 to $91.05 a barrel.
  • The June Brent oil contract declined 3.32% or 3.30 to trade at $96.09 a barrel.
  • USD/INR was down 0.25% to 92.80.
  • EUR/INR fell 0.17% to 109.45.
  • The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.12% at 97.91.

Friday's session closed with broad-based advances on both primary exchanges and lower implied volatility for the Nifty 50 options complex, while commodity and currency benchmarks moved lower by the reported amounts.

Risks

  • Volatility, while lower at session close, can change rapidly - impacting derivatives and hedging costs for index-linked strategies (markets sector).
  • Commodity price moves - notably oil falling around 3-4% - could affect energy and industrial sector earnings and input costs (energy and industrials sectors).

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