HOME > MARKETS > MARKET COMMENTARY
  MARKET COMMENTARY
EQUITY
Markets trade higher in late morning deals
Apr-20-2026

Indian equity markets traded higher with gains of over 0.30 percent in late morning deals on account of buying in Trent, SBI, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank and Adani Ports companies’ stocks. Positive cues from the Global markets supported domestic sentiments.  Sentiments got boost as foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth Rs 683.20 crore on April 17, 2026. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that India's forex reserves jumped $3.825 billion to $700.946 billion during the week ended April 10. Further, traders were getting encouragement as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has rolled out a set of reforms to improve the functioning of Norms Committees under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), aiming to speed up Advance Authorisation approvals and simplify procedures for exporters. On the BSE sectoral front, traders were seen piling up positions in Power, Utilities, PSU, Capital Goods and Bankex, while selling was witnessed in IT, Realty, Metal, TECK and Basic Materials.

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly higher following positive cues from the US markets on Friday. Back home, in the stock specific development, ICICI Bank surged on posting 9% rise in Q4FY26 consolidated net profit.  

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 78798.01, up by 304.47 points or 0.39% after trading in a range of 78203.30 and 78873.48. There were 19 stocks advancing against 11 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Power up by 1.50%, Utilities up by 1.31%, PSU up by 0.91%, Capital Goods up by 0.88% and Bankex up by 0.79%, while IT down by 0.47%, Realty down by 0.47%, Metal down by 0.31%, TECK down by 0.23% and Basic Materials down by 0.15% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Trent up by 3.48%, SBI up by 3.43%, Asian Paints up by 1.49%, Adani Ports &Special up by 1.26% and ICICI Bank up by 1.06%. On the flip side, Tata Steel down by 0.66%, Titan down by 0.65%, HCL Technologies down by 0.60%, Infosys down by 0.52% and Larsen & Toubro down by 0.49% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has rolled out a set of reforms to improve the functioning of Norms Committees under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), aiming to speed up Advance Authorisation approvals and simplify procedures for exporters. According to the ministry, the move aligns with the government’s broader agenda of boosting ease of doing business and reduce delays in approvals under export-linked schemes.

It noted 'DGFT administers the Advance Authorisation (AA) Scheme and the Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) Scheme under the Foreign Trade Policy. These schemes allow duty-free import of inputs that are physically incorporated in export products.’ Currently, seven such committees operate across sectors, comprising technical experts and officials from various ministries. However, their functioning had been impacted by capacity constraints, causing delays and an increase in pending applications.

To tackle this issue, the government has rolled out process and capacity reforms, including fixed scheduling of meetings on a fortnightly basis, prioritisation of long-pending cases, and time-bound finalisation of meeting minutes. Monitoring mechanisms for pendency and case ageing have also been strengthened. Additionally, line ministries have been directed to nominate more technical experts to the committees. Consequently, the number of technical members has risen from 12 to 22, enhancing their capacity to manage a larger caseload.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24430.10, up by 76.55 points or 0.31% after trading in a range of 24241.25 and 24448.50. There were 30 stocks advancing against 20 stocks declining on the index. 

The top gainers on Nifty were Trent up by 3.51%, SBI up by 3.45%, Asian Paints up by 1.51%, JSW Steel up by 1.34% and Adani Ports up by 1.33%. On the flip side, JIO Financial down by 2.04%, Hindalco down by 1.89%, HDFC Life down by 1.06%, Tata MotorsPassenger down by 0.90% and Apollo Hospital down by 0.88% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Nikkei 225 surged 469.1 points or 0.8% to 58,945.00, Taiwan Weighted added 394.93 points or 1.07% to 37,199.27, Shanghai Composite strengthened 24.53 points or 0.61% to 4,075.96, KOSPI increased 61.78 points or 1% to 6,253.70, Hang Seng advanced 208.67 points or 0.8% to 26,369.00 and Straits Times rose 6.8 points or 0.14% to 5,004.73. However, Jakarta Composite plunged 12.42 points or 0.16% to 7,621.58. 
  RELATED NEWS >>
Most Viewed >>
EXPLORE
© CITRUS INTERACTIVE
Designed & Developed Accord Fintech Pvt. Ltd.