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Stock market today: Following a decisive-looking development in West Asia following the de-escalation in the US-Iran war and a strong upside in Asian markets today, the key benchmark indices of the Indian stock market are expected to open higher. The Gift Nifty live chart signals about the same as the index is up by more than 450 points during the early morning session on Wednesday.

Expecting a big gap-up opening, Hariprasad K, SEBI-registered Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth, said the Indian equities are set to begin the new fiscal year on a strong note, with Gift Nifty signalling a sharp gap-up opening. The momentum is largely being driven by a decisive improvement in global risk sentiment, following encouraging signals around potential de-escalation in the ongoing West Asia conflict.

Global markets rallied strongly, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging over 1,100 points, as reports indicated that the Iranian leadership may be open to ending hostilities, subject to certain assurances. While these developments remain unconfirmed, they have significantly shifted market sentiment from risk aversion to cautious optimism. Further support has come from comments by US President Donald Trump, who suggested that the conflict could be resolved in the coming weeks, with a broader diplomatic framework likely to emerge.

Asian markets have mirrored this optimism, with sharp gains across key indices. The rally reflects easing concerns around crude oil supply disruptions and global growth risks, both of which had been central to recent market volatility. For India, any signs of stability in the Middle East are particularly constructive, given its dependence on energy imports.

Gold and silver prices extended their rally for a third straight session on Wednesday, April 1, after US President Donald Trump said he expects the war with Iran to conclude within two to three weeks.

The COMEX gold rate today was trading 1.25% up to $4,737 per ounce, after gaining 3.5% in the previous session. Meanwhile, the COMEX silver rate today was up 0.42% to $75.23 per ounce during the Asian trading hours.

On the reasons fueling gold and silver prices today, Anuj Gupta, a SEBI-registered market expert, said that U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that U.S. military forces will leave Iran in two to three weeks, stating that his goal of eliminating the country’s nuclear threat has been achieved. This has fueled buzz about a US Fed rate cut as de-escalation in the US-Iran war would cool inflation fears and crude oil prices.

However, the WTI crude oil price was trading higher during the early morning Asian session. WTI crude oil was trading around $103 per barrel, up nearly 1.50% during morning trading in the Asian market today.

A key variable to watch today will be volatility. India VIX, which had surged to elevated levels near 27.8 in the previous session, is expected to cool sharply if the current sentiment sustains. A decline towards the 22 zone would indicate unwinding of fear-driven positions and a normalisation in market conditions. This, in turn, is likely to compress option premiums, improving the overall trading environment.

FIIs remained net sellers on Monday by offloading Indian shares worth ₹11,163.06 crore. They sold out shares worth ₹6,000.72 crore in the Index Future segment and ₹8,728.19 crore in the Index option segment. However, DIIs remained net buyers, buying shares worth ₹14,894.72 crore on Monday.

“Domestic institutional investors remained strong buyers in the previous session, providing stability to the market, while foreign institutional investors continued to reduce exposure. During the past one year, consistent domestic inflows have effectively absorbed foreign selling pressure, highlighting a structural shift in market dynamics,” said Hariprasad K of Livelong Wealth.

Speaking on the outlook for the Nifty 50 and Sensex today, Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research at Kotak Securities, said the market broke a key support line at 22,500/72,500 and closed at 22,331/71,947. Based on the current market structure, 22,500/72,500 could pose a significant hurdle for the market in the short term. Below these levels, the market could soon decline to 22,100/22,000/71,300/71,000.

Unveiling the day trading strategy, the Kotak Securities expert said, “A close below 22,000/71,000 would raise further concerns. However, given the current pattern of sudden price declines in a short period of time, medium- to long-term investors may be tempted to invest in certain stocks. Above 22500/72500, we may see some short covering, which could take the index towards 22700/73100 levels. The strategy should be to buy certain stocks between 22100-22000/71300-71000.”

On the outlook for the Bank Nifty today, Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, said the index is expected to open with a strong gap-up above the 51,000 level, in line with the broader market's positive momentum. However, sustainability at higher levels remains crucial, given the prevailing weak underlying structure. From a technical perspective, the 51,600 zone is likely to act as an immediate resistance, followed by a stronger hurdle in the 52,000–52,200 range. A decisive and sustained move above these levels would be required to confirm any meaningful recovery, potentially triggering further upside supported by short-covering and fresh buying interest.

Regarding stocks to buy today, market experts — Sumeet Bagadia of Choice Broking, Ganesh Dongre, Senior Manager — Technical Research at Anand Rathi, and Shiju Koothupalakkal, Senior Manager — Technical Research at Prabhudas Lilladher, recommended these four buy-or-sell stocks for intraday trading: Urban Company, SAIL, Tech Mahindra, and Coal India.

1] Urban Company: Buy at ₹118.86, Target ₹127.50, Stop Loss ₹114.50; and

2] SAIL: Buy at ₹151.42, Target ₹162.30, Stop Loss ₹146.

3] Tech Mahindra: Buy at ₹1384, Target ₹1435, Stop Loss ₹1365; and

4] Coal India: Buy at ₹450, Target ₹480, Stop Loss ₹430.

Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.Asit Manohar has nearly two decades of experience in the mainstream media. In this period, he has served esteemed media organisations like NDTV Profit, The Economic Times, and Zee Business. He has been working at LiveMint Digital since April 2021. During these two decades of journey in mainstream media, Asit has mainly covered external affairs, markets and personal finance. However, his earliest beats include railways, SME, MSME, and politics (Congress beat). Some of his features on political, economic, and foreign policy are documented in the parliamentary records.

While pursuing his MA (Mass Communication, Session 2004-06), Asit began his media career as a stringer at All India Radio in Varanasi. At AIR Varanasi, Asit worked with the Gyanvani, Yuvvani and Vividh Bharti teams. After working for nearly one year at AIR Varanasi, he shifted to print journalism and started working as a stringer for the HT Media Ltd, Varanasi. At HT Media Ltd in Varanasi, he covered the BHU beat.

Asit has also worked with some brokerage houses. He has worked with Religare Broking and India Infoline, where he assisted the research team in developing and executing trade strategies for intraday cash, F&O, and commodities.

Asit is a Gold Medalist in MA (Mass Communication) from BHU, Varanasi. He did his BSc. (Hons) in Mathematics from Magadh University, Bodh Gaya. Asit was a National Talent Scholarship holder during his senior secondary studies (1988-91).

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