Mumbai — Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty reversed early losses to end marginally higher on Thursday, buoyed by late-hour buying despite concerns over fresh US tariffs.
The BSE Sensex recovered nearly 926 points from its intraday low, finally closing 79.27 points or 0.10% higher at 80,623.26. It had dipped to a low of 79,811.29 during the session before a recovery lifted it to a high of 80,737.55. The NSE Nifty also edged up 21.95 points or 0.09%, finishing at 24,596.15.
The rebound came even as investor sentiment was rattled by US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose an additional 25% duty on Indian goods, raising total tariffs to 50%. The move, in response to India’s continued import of Russian oil, is expected to hit key export sectors including textiles, leather, and marine products. India criticized the action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” joining Brazil as the highest tariff-targeted nations.
Top gainers among Sensex stocks included Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Axis Bank, Maruti, Tata Steel, HDFC Bank, and Asian Paints. On the downside, Adani Ports, Trent, Tata Motors, Hindustan Unilever, and NTPC saw losses.
Despite tariff tensions, global cues were broadly positive. Asian markets closed higher, including Japan’s Nikkei and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng. European markets also traded in the green, while Wall Street ended higher on Wednesday.
However, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded Indian equities worth ₹4,999.10 crore, highlighting caution. Meanwhile, Brent crude rose 0.72% to $67.37 per barrel.
The Sensex had dropped 166 points and the Nifty 75 points in the previous session.
