India’s BSE Sensex edged up 0.2% to close at 78,581 on Wednesday, rebounding from the previous session’s losses as investors weighed the latest central bank policy decision, corporate earnings, and developments in the Middle East. Overall sentiment stayed cautious amid rising crude oil prices, continued foreign fund outflows, and the introduction of the new closing auction mechanism.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) left the benchmark repo rate unchanged at 5.25% and retained its neutral policy stance, broadly in line with market expectations. Risk appetite was also supported by signs of progress toward a US–Iran agreement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, although new incidents in the strategic waterway kept geopolitical risks elevated.
On the equity front, UltraTech Cement led the gains, advancing 2%, followed by NTPC (+1.8%), State Bank of India (+1.7%), and Mahindra & Mahindra (+1.7%). Bharti Airtel added 0.3% after reporting a strong June-quarter performance. In contrast, TCS (-1.2%), HCL Tech (-1.1%), Reliance Industries (-0.9%), and Bharat Electronics (-0.7%) were among the biggest decliners.
