Markets rise for 7th day, Nifty touches 23,800 but closes below peak

The Indian markets ended marginally higher on Tuesday reducing early gains after rising nearly 1% at the start with IT stocks and HDFC Bank leading the gains, though weakness in Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, and M&M limited the overall upside. At close, the Sensex was up 32.81 points or 0.04 percent at 78,017.19, and the Nifty was up 10.30 points or 0.04 percent at 23,668.65. About 1019 shares advanced, 2868 shares declined, and 107 shares unchanged.
UltraTech Cement, Trent, Bajaj Finserv, Infosys, Grasim Industries were the top gainers on the Nifty, while losers included IndusInd Bank, Dr Reddy's Labs, Adani Enterprises, Coal India, Adani Ports. On the sectoral front, except IT, all other sectoral indices ended in the red with auto, capital goods, consumer durables, metal, oil & gas, power, PSU bank, realty, telecom down 1-1.5 percent.BSE Midcap index shed 1 percent and Smallcap index was down 1.6 percent.
Rupee Close: 
On 25 March'25,the Indian rupee snapped its seven-session rally and settled with a loss of 13 paise to close at 85.74 against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, as increased demand for dollars from importers, coupled with the greenback's recovery against major currencies, weighed on the rupee.Forex traders reportedly stated the Indian rupee halted its seven-day winning streak, reflecting a shift in market sentiment towards risk aversion.
Trading Guide: 
Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments reportedly quoted as saying, after a six-day recovery rally, the broader market witnessed some profit booking, particularly in small and mid-cap stocks, where premium valuations still exist. On the other hand, the IT sector posted gains, driven by positive global cues stemming from expectations of softer tariffs and a recent correction in valuations. In the near-term, investor sentiment is expected to be cautious as they await clarity on trade policy between US-India. Meanwhile, attention is shifting towards the quarterly results, which is anticipated to shed light on the recovery in earnings growth. Favourable indicators, such as expected rate cuts and rupee movements, continue to support the market sentiment.Market experts recommended four stocks to buy- NHPC, Canara Bank, NBCC, and Morepen Lab.

(Business Correspondent)