WEEKLY REPORT
Markets advanced for a second straight week in the holiday-shortened period, with benchmarks gaining over 1%, supported by de-escalation in West Asia, softer crude oil prices, and easing FII outflows.
For the week, the BSE Sensex added 943.29 points (1.21%) to close at 78,493.54, while the Nifty 50 rose302.95 points (1.25%) to finish at 24,353.55.
The total market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms surged by over ₹14 lakh crore this week, with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone recording the highest addition, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Reliance Industries, and Hindustan Unilever. On the other hand, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, and Bajaj Finance witnessed erosion in their market capitalisation.
Among sectors, all indices ended in the green except Auto. The Nifty Capital Markets index led the gains, rising 7%, followed by the Nifty Defence index, which added 6.2%. The Nifty Energy index gained 4.5%, while the Nifty Metal index rose over 4%. Meanwhile, the Nifty Media and Realty indices advanced 3.5% each.
Among the broader market indices, both Nifty Mid-cap index and the Nifty Small-cap indices climbed higher by 3.5 and 4.3 percent this week.
Despite turning net buyers in the latter part of the week after initial selling on Monday, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) ended the week as net sellers, with a net outflow of ₹251.47 crore. On the contrary, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) remained net sellers, offloading equities worth ₹6,285.91 crore during the week.
The Indian rupee broke its two-week gaining streak, weakening by 19 paise to close at 92.92 against the US dollar on April 17, as against 92.73 in the previous week.
ECONOMY
₹12,500 Cr Push for LPG Pipeline Network
India plans approx.2,500 km of LPG pipelines with an investment of ₹12,500 crore to improve fuel logistics. The project will connect refineries and import terminals to bottling plants for smoother distribution. This strengthens India’s energy infrastructure, reduces transport risks, and improves supply chain efficiency for cooking fuel.
IMF Cuts MENA Growth Outlook
The International Monetary Fund slashed growth forecast for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to 1.1% for 2026, down from 3.9%. The sharp downgrade is driven by oil and gas export disruptions from the Iran conflict, especially in energy exports. Oil-dependent economies in the region are likely to face slower recovery and fiscal strain.
STOCKS IN NEWS
Angel One
Angel One stock rose over 15 percent this week, after the company reported strong Q4 FY26 earnings, with net profit rising 83.5 percent year-on-year to Rs 320 crore. The stock saw additional traction following updates from its post-results concall, in which the company shared the status of AI (artificial intelligence) implementation.
Voltas
Shares of air-conditioning and power utility company Voltas hiked almopst 9 percent higher this week, as forecasts of a sharp rise in temperatures across India boosted expectations of strong summer demand.
Amir Chand Jagdish Kumar (Exports)
Shares of basmati rice exporter Amir Chand Jagdish Kumar (Exports) rose more than 5 percent this week after the firm reported 94% jump in net profit in the quarter ended March 31, 2026. The firm reported consolidated net profit of Rs 35 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, as against Rs 18 crore in the year-ago period.
Bajaj Consumer Care
Shares of Bajaj Consumer Care surged almost 10 percent in this week after the company reported strong fourth-quarter earnings. Revenue grew 31% to Rs 327 crore versus Rs 251 crore a year earlier. EBITDA came in at Rs 77 crore, up from Rs 32 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, while EBITDA margin improved sharply to 23.4% from 12.7% on a year-on-year basis.
Source – Moneycontrol, Reuters
