Why Is Stock Market Rising Today? Know Key Factors Behind Sensex, Nifty Rally On August 18
The domestic equity markets on Monday started the week on a bullish note, with the BSE Sensex surging by 1,063 points to open at 81,661.59 and the NSE Nifty jumping 368 points to trade at 25,002.32 in the opening trade. The rally in the Indian stock market comes amid firm domestic signals and steady global trends.
The stock market is witnessing a major rally in auto and consumer goods stocks, including Ashok Leyland, Voltas, Hyundai Motor India, Hero MotoCorp, Maruti Suzuki, and PG Electroplast.
On Nifty indices, the auto sector was up 4.44%, followed by consumer durables (3.18%), financial services (3.14%), FMCG (1.98%), and metal (1.4%).
Key Factors Behind Stock Market Rally Today
PM Modi's Announcement On GST Reforms: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day Speech during the weekend announced a major overhaul in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure. Though he did not announce any details, reports said the Centre is considering scrapping the current 12% and 28% GST slabs, realigning most items into the 5% and 18% categories. Certain sin or luxury goods may be placed in a new 40% bracket.
S&P Global's Rating Upgrade On India: US-based rating agency S&P Global has upgraded India's sovereign rating to 'BBB' after more than 18 years, citing strong economic fundamentals that are likely to support growth in the next two to three years. It also pointed out that monetary policy has become 'increasingly conducive to managing inflationary expectations".
A day after, it also upgraded the ratings of India's 10 financial institutions, including seven Indian banks (SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Union Bank of India, and Indian Bank) and three finance companies (Bajaj Finance, Tata Capital, and L&T Finance).
Positive Developments On Russia-Ukraine Issue: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met during the weekend in Alaska to discuss the Ukraine issue. Though the meeting remained inconclusive, India welcomed the Trump-Putin summit and said 'India appreciates the progress made in the summit".
The outcome of today's meeting at the White House between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for finding a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be keenly watched by the market
Lower Crude Oil Prices: Oil prices on Monday struggled as US President Donald Trump backed away from threats to place more restrictions on Russian oil exports. Brent dropped 0.2% to $65.74 a barrel, while US crude eased 0.1% to $62.76 per barrel.
Positive Global Markets: Share markets edged higher in Asia on Monday ahead of what is likely to be an eventful week for US interest rate policy, while oil prices slipped as risks to Russian supplies seemed to fade a little. A general risk-on mood saw indices in Japan and Taiwan make record peaks, while Chinese blue chips reached their highest in 10 months.
Shares across the Asia-Pacific region traded mixed as investors assessed the outcome of the US-Russia summit, which ended without a ceasefire. Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 0.62 per cent, while the Topix index was up 0.42 per cent. South Korea's Kospi slipped 1.06 per cent and the Kosdaq shed 1.44 per cent. Futures linked to Hong Kong's Hang Seng index were at 25,214, suggesting a firm opening.
'There are strong tailwinds for the market with potential to take it higher. Declarations by the prime minister on the next major reforms in GST by Diwali, is a big positive. The expectation is that most of the goods and services will be in the 5% and 18% tax slabs. Sectors like autos and cement which are presently in the 28% tax slabs are expected to benefit. TVS Motors, Hero, Eicher, M&M and Maruti are likely to respond positively to the news. Insurance companies are also expected to benefit from the GST revision," V K Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist of Geojit Investments Limited, said.
S&P 500 upgrading India's sovereign credit rating is another major positive. But, the market ignored this announcement since the negative news flows are also strong. India-US trade talks are unlikely to happen before August 27th deadline. The 'Trump Sword' of 50% tariff dangling on India will restrain the market enthusiasm which can be triggered by the positive news mentioned earlier. The outcome of today's meeting at the White House for finding a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be keenly watched by the market, he added, he added.
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August 18, 2025, 10:21 IST
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