Mumbai, May 14 — Indian stock markets ended higher on Wednesday as cooling retail inflation and favorable global cues boosted investor sentiment. The BSE Sensex climbed 182.34 points to close at 81,330.56, while the NSE Nifty advanced by 88.55 points, ending the day at 24,666.90.
As per agency report, traders said selective buying in metal and industrial stocks, coupled with continued inflow from foreign institutional investors, supported the market. Positive momentum was seen despite some intraday volatility, with retail inflation figures and global optimism helping indices remain in the green.
The Sensex traded between an intraday high of 81,691.87 and a low of 80,910.03. Out of the 3,125 actively traded stocks on BSE, 2,857 advanced, 1,121 declined, while 147 remained unchanged.
Tata Steel emerged as the top gainer on the Sensex, rising nearly 3.88 percent. Other prominent gainers included Tech Mahindra, Maruti, Mahindra & Mahindra, Infosys, IndusInd Bank, HCL Tech, TCS, and Bharti Airtel. Airtel shares rose by one percent after the company reported a fivefold jump in net profit to ₹11,022 crore in the March 2025 quarter.
On the downside, Asian Paints, Tata Motors, Kotak Mahindra Bank, NTPC, and Power Grid saw declines.
Market experts attributed the upward trend to optimism stemming from a sharp drop in inflation. April's retail inflation eased to a six-year low of 3.16 percent due to lower prices of vegetables, fruits, and pulses. Wholesale inflation also fell to 0.85 percent, a 13-month low, driven by reduced prices in food, fuel, and manufactured goods.
According to analysts, the drop in inflation strengthens the case for a potential interest rate cut in the Reserve Bank of India's next monetary policy review in June.
Midcap and smallcap indices outperformed the broader market, rising by 1.19 percent and 1.63 percent respectively.
Global markets were mixed. South Korea's Kospi, China's Shanghai Composite, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed higher, while Japan’s Nikkei ended in the red. European markets mostly trended lower during afternoon trade, while U.S. indices closed in the green on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, crude oil prices softened, with Brent Crude falling 1.13 percent to $65.88 per barrel.
Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers on Tuesday, offloading shares worth ₹476.86 crore, as per exchange data.
The market’s recovery on Wednesday followed a sharp correction on Tuesday, when the Sensex had fallen by 1,281.68 points and the Nifty by 346.35 points.
