The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex added 266.47 points or 0.32% to 83,580.40. The Nifty 50 index rose 50.90 points or 0.20% to 25,693.70.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.11% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index tanked 0.42%. The market breadth was negative.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, fell 1.86% to 11.94.

Among the sectoral indices, the Nifty FMCG index (up 2.27%), the Nifty Consumer Durables index (up 0.96%) and the Nifty Private Bank index (up 0.63%) outperformed the Nifty 50 index.

Meanwhile, the Nifty IT index (down 1.47%), the Nifty Pharma index (down 0.74%) and the Nifty Healthcare index (down 0.62%) underperformed the Nifty 50 index.

RBI MPC:

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held its first monetary policy review of the calendar year 2026. RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra kept the key policy rate—repo rate—unchanged at 5.25%. Headline inflation during November and December remained below the tolerance band of the inflation target.

The revised outlook for CPI inflation in Q1 and Q2 of next year, at 4% and 4.2%, respectively, is revised slightly upwards, said RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra. The Indian economy continues on a steady, improving trajectory, with real GDP poised to register significant higher growth of 7.4% this year, as compared to the previous year, amidst global headwinds, the governor noted. Going forward, economic activity is expected to hold up well in the next year, he added.

Numbers to Track:

The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper added 1.58% to 6.756 compared with previous session close of 6.651.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 90.6700 compared with its close of 90.3400 during the previous trading session.

MCX Gold futures for 2 April 2026 settlement rose 0.50% to Rs 152,830.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.17% to 97.80.

The United States 10-year bond yield dropped 0.40% to 4.191.

In the commodities market, Brent crude for April 2026 settlement rose 46 cents or 0.68% to $68.01 a barrel.

Global market:

European equities traded on a mixed note on Friday, while Most Asian markets ended lower, following the tech-driven sell-off on Wall Street.

South Korea’s market, which is heavily weighted in favor of companies in the chip and automotive industries, has seen sharp swings in the past week as sentiment over tech stocks sours.

Pharmaceutical stocks in Japan also slumped on Friday, after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his website offering discounted prescription medicines.

On the commodities front, spot silver prices climbed 3.28%, having crashed about 13% on Thursday.

Overnight in the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 1.20% to close at 48,908.72, while the S&P 500 lost 1.23% declined to 6,798.40, pushing it into negative territory for the year. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite posted the biggest decline, tumbling 1.59% to end at 22,540.59.

Tech giant Alphabet came under pressure after reporting fourth-quarter results and flagging a sharp rise in artificial intelligence spending, with capital expenditure totaling $185 billion for 2026.

Qualcomm slid more than 8% after posting a weaker forecast because of a global memory shortage.