BSE Sensex skyrockets 1200 points (1.48%) to close at 82,530

Indian stock markets witnessed a powerful rally on Thursday, May 15, 2025, with benchmark indices soaring to seven-month highs after positive cues from global trade talks. The BSE Sensex skyrocketed 1,200.18 points (1.48%) to close at 82,530.74, while the NSE Nifty jumped 395.20 points (1.6%) to settle at 25,062.10, fueled by across-the-board buying and strong foreign fund inflows.

Investor sentiment surged after U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that India had offered a zero-tariff trade deal during his meeting with business leaders in Doha. “It is very hard to sell in India, and they are offering us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariffs,” Trump said. This sparked hopes of a breakthrough in India-U.S. trade relations, especially as Trump had earlier paused tariff hikes for 90 days, giving negotiators time to finalize an agreement.

The announcement sent stocks soaring mid-session. At around 2:14 PM IST, the Nifty 50 hit 25,098, and the Sensex climbed to 82,696.53, reflecting gains of 1.75% and 1.67%, respectively, before slightly paring gains at the close.

Top Performers:

Tata Motors led the rally with a 4% jump, benefiting from the strong U.S. market performance of its JLR unit.

The Nifty Auto index rose by nearly 2%, while other top gainers included HCL Technologies, Adani Ports, Eternal Energy, and Maruti Suzuki.

Lagging Behind:

IndusInd Bank was the only major stock to close in the red.

Currency Check:

Despite the stock market's strong performance, the Indian rupee weakened by 18 paise to close at 85.50 against the U.S. dollar, affected by rising dollar demand from importers and mild foreign fund outflows.

Overall, the markets cheered the potential easing of trade tensions with the U.S., pushing key indices back above psychological levels for the first time in months. All sectoral indices closed in the green, signaling broad investor optimism.