SENSEX JUMPS 255 PTS; AUTO SHARES GEAR UP

The key equity benchmarks continued to trade with modest gains in mid-morning trade as broader markets outperformed the benchmarks despite lingering fragility in sentiment amid cautious optimism over potential US�Iran peace talks. Nifty traded above the 24,250 mark. Auto shares rebounded after declining in the previous trading session.

At 11:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped 255.36 points or 0.33% to 78,252.29. The Nifty 50 index rose 71.60 points or 0.30% to 24,268.45.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index gained 0.79% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 1.06%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,770 shares rose and 1,225 shares fell. A total of 228 shares were unchanged.

The NSE`s India VIX, a gauge of the market`s expectation of volatility over the near term, slipped 1.56% to 17.80.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Auto index rose 0.58% to 26,535.20. The index shed 0.38% over the past trading session.

Maruti Suzuki India (up 2.16%), Hero MotoCorp (up 1.27%), Tube Investments of India (up 0.79%), Sona BLW Precision Forgings (up 0.71%), Bharat Forge (up 0.7%), Bosch (up 0.59%), Samvardhana Motherson International (up 0.47%), Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (up 0.34%), Eicher Motors (up 0.33%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (up 0.19%) jumped.

Stocks in Spotlight:

DCX Systems added 1.50% after it had received purchase orders worth Rs 9.30 crore from its customer in the normal course of business.

Rail Vikas Nigam rose 3.71% after the company emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) for a major infrastructure contract from East Coast Railway. The project involves construction of key bridges under the third and fourth railway line expansions between Nergundi-Barang and Khurda Road-Vizianagaram on the Bhadrak-Vizianagaram section. The total contract value stands at approximately Rs 968 crore.

Angel One advanced 3.18% after the company reported a robust performance for the quarter ended March 2026. The company�s consolidated net profit (PAT) jumped 83.49% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 320.24 crore in Q4 FY26, driven by a 38.20% increase in total revenue from operations to Rs 1,459.42 crore.

Global Markets:

Asian markets traded lower on Friday, as cautious optimism over the Middle East conflict tempered sentiment, diverging from Wall Street�s record-setting rally.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that the war in Iran �should be ending pretty soon,� reiterating rosy predictions about the end of the conflict.

Hours earlier, Trump confirmed that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. Iran�s parliament speaker has said that Israel halting attacks on Lebanon is a key condition for U.S.-Iran negotiations to start.

The next round of in-person talks between the U.S. and Iran may occur �probably, maybe, next weekend,� Trump reportedly said on Thursday. A two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran will expire on April 21.

Meanwhile, Japan�s export credit agency, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, will set up an investment window of up to 600 billion yen ($3.8 billion) to help Asian countries secure energy supplies, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said.

Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose to fresh all-time highs on Thursday, adding to their strong gains this week on optimism for a possible resolution to the Iran war.

The broad market index gained 0.26% to close at 7,041.28, while the Nasdaq gained 0.36% to settle at 24,102.70. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 115 points, or 0.24%, and ended at 48,578.72.

Stocks have risen in recent days on hopes for an eventual peace deal between the two nations. The S&P 500 kicked off the week by wiping out all of its losses since the beginning of the Iran war.

Even if a U.S.-Iran peace deal were to come to fruition in the near term like investors anticipate, there could still be some market volatility approaching due to the war�s potential impact on the U.S. economy.