Stock markets rally for 4th day; Sensex climbs nearly 371 points on GST reform bid
Rising for the fourth trading day in a row, the 30-share BSE Sensex edged higher by 370.64 points or 0.46% to settle at 81,644.39. During the day, it jumped 482.13 points or 0.59% to 81,755.88.
The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 103.70 points or 0.42% to 24,980.65.
Optimism prevailed in the market, buoyed by plans for big bang reforms in the GST regime by Diwali and easing geopolitical worries, analysts said.
Among Sensex firms, Tata Motors rose the most by 3.5% while Adani Ports gained 3.16%. Reliance Industries rose by 2.82%. Eternal, Tech Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Hindustan Unilever and Maruti were also among the gainers.
However, Bajaj Finserv, Power Grid, Mahindra & Mahindra and HCL Tech were among the laggards.
'The national market continued the renewed momentum, buoyed by expectations of GST rationalisation and a recent upgrade in India's credit rating. Additional optimism came from signs of easing geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, shifting the near-term outlook from consolidation to a more constructive stance,' Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments, said.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai's SSE Composite and Hong Kong's Hang Seng settled lower.
Markets in Europe were trading higher. The U.S. markets ended on a flat note on Monday (August 18, 2025).
Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.93% to $65.98 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth ₹550.85 crore on Monday (August 18, 2025), according to exchange data.
On Monday (August 18, 2025), the Sensex jumped 676.09 points or 0.84% to settle at 81,273.75. The Nifty climbed 245.65 points or 1% to end at 24,876.95.
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Mint
14 minutes ago
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Expert view: SKG Investment's director on Nifty's short-term target, earnings revival, impact of Trump tariffs and more
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This weak global sentiment, along with weak earnings, has led to a lacklustre performance from Nifty, with only nearly 6 per cent YTD returns. Going forward, to hit a record mark of 27,000 this year, Nifty has to go up by 5 per cent within 5 months. While it may not look like a very uphill battle, I would be cautious in predicting that. I think there will be a sideways movement, with Nifty range-bound between 24,500 and 26,000 in the coming few months. A better earnings season in October has the potential to reverse the sentiment, though. India has become a target in Trump's tariff wars, but it has also been a tool for the US administration to achieve political goals, such as exerting pressure on Russia. Whatever the reasons may be, the Indian economy will surely take a punch in the gut when the tariffs kick in. With a 50 per cent rate hike, almost all of India's $86.5 billion [£64.7 billion] in annual goods exports to the US stand to become commercially unviable once it kicks in. 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