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Stock Market Today March 20 LIVE: The Indian stock market benchmark indices Sensex, Nifty continued trading over 1% higher on Friday, March 20 following gains in Asian peers, and amid short-covering after steep losses in the previous session. Sentiment was also aided by some fall in crude oil prices and well as a softer dollar.

In intra-day deals, Sensex surged 977 points or 1.3% to day's high of 75,184 while Nifty rallied 302 points or 1.3% to intra-day high of 23,303.85. All sectoral indices were also in the green led by Nifty PSU Bank, Nifty Metal, Nifty IT and Nifty Auto.

Broader markets also rallied, with both midcap and smallcap indices rising around 1.5% each.

The gains came on the back of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that the country would refrain from targeting energy infrastructure going forward, adding that the conflict could end sooner than expected as Iran no longer has the capability to enrich uranium or produce ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he has no plans to deploy ground forces, stating that he is “not putting troops anywhere” when asked about the possibility of sending troops.

Asian Markets Today

Asian equities edged higher on Friday after US markets recovered from intraday lows and oil prices eased, as efforts by the US and Israel helped calm concerns around the Iran conflict.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.2%, following a sharp 2.6% decline in the previous session when strikes on energy infrastructure in the Middle East raised fears of prolonged economic fallout. US equity sentiment also improved, with S&P 500 futures ticking higher after the benchmark index ended the prior session down 0.3%, rebounding from an earlier 1% fall.

Meanwhile, Japanese markets remained closed for a holiday, resulting in no cash trading in US Treasuries during Asian hours.

Gold prices traded higher, but were headed for a third consecutive weekly decline, weighed down by a firm dollar and a hawkish US Federal Reserve. Spot gold price rose 0.2% to $4,657.50 per ounce. US gold futures for April delivery rose 1.1% to $4,657.90. Gold prices have declined more than 7% so far this week. Spot silver price gained 0.1% to $73 per ounce.

Crude oil prices fell from its highest close since July 2022. Brent crude oil price declined 1.01% to $107.57 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped 1.74% to $93.89.

Brent crude rose as much as $119.13 a barrel on Thursday on attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East, triggering a global market rout.

Stay tuned to this segment for the latest news on the Indian stock market today.

Godawari Power and Ispat share price jumped over 6% on Friday after the company announced an increase in investment in its wholly owned subsidiary, Godawari New Energy Private Limited, following the conversion of preference shares into equity. Godawari Power share price rallied as much as 6.77% to ₹267.85 apiece on the BSE.

Godawari Power and Ispat said it received intimation from its wholly-owned subsidiary Godawari New Energy Private Limited (GNEPL) regarding the allotment of 19.89 crore equity shares of ₹10 each upon conversion of 0.1% non-cumulative participating optionally convertible redeemable preference shares (OCRPS).

Reliance shares have displayed remarkable resilience this month despite a sharp selloff in the Indian stock market. While the Indian stock market benchmarks- the Sensex and the Nifty 50- have lost almost 8% each in March so far, shares of the Mukesh Ambani-led oil-to-telecom-to-retail conglomerate, Reliance Industries (RIL), have climbed more than 2% this month, looking set to snap their two-month losing run. Notably, the Sensex and the Nifty 50 appear on course to extend losses for the fourth consecutive month.

Indian IT stocks traded higher on Friday, supported by improved sentiment following Accenture’s Q2 earnings. The Nifty IT index rose over 2%, following strength in the broader Indian stock market.

Oracle Financial Services Software surged nearly 5%, while Tech Mahindra, HCL Technologies, Persistent Systems, Infosys and Mphasis gained over 2% each. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro and Coforge also rose more than 1%. Barring LTIMindtree, all other constituents of the Nifty IT index were trading in positive territory.

Accenture Q2 earnings were robust and the company raised its full-year growth guidance, which analysts view as an incremental positive for Indian IT companies. The company reported a 4% year-on-year (YoY) growth in revenue in constant currency (CC) terms to $18 billion, near the upper end of its guidance and marginally above Street estimates of $17.9 billion.

Aster DM Healthcare was in focus after the company announced that its board will meet on March 26, 2026, to consider and approve an interim dividend for the financial year 2025–26. The company also informed exchanges that the record date for determining eligible shareholders, if the dividend is approved, has been fixed as April 3, 2026.

“a meeting of the Board of Directors of Aster DM Healthcare Limited… is scheduled to be held on Thursday, March 26, 2026, inter-alia, to consider and approve declaration of interim dividend,” the company said in its filing.

Alongside the dividend announcement, Aster DM Healthcare said its trading window has been closed from March 19, 2026, in line with its insider trading norms. The window will remain shut until 48 hours after the announcement of financial results for the quarter and year ended March 31, 2026.

International oil prices fell over 2% on Friday after the US signalled potential easing of sanctions on Iranian oil and global powers backed efforts to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The moves point to early attempts to stabiliZe supplies after crude surged to multi-month highs amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

The April contract of Brent crude on the Intercontinental Exchange was trading at $105.88 per barrel, down 2.44% from its previous close. Similarly, the April contract of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) on NYMEX was at $93.20 per barrel, lower by 2.46%.

Oil prices have been volatile since the start of the war on 28 February, with Brent briefly nearing $119 per barrel on Thursday.

Tata Power share price surged by 5% on Friday, March 20, following reports that the Gujarat government has sanctioned a modified Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Tata Power, enabling the company to restart long-term supply from its 4-gigawatt Mundra facility.

As stated in a government document reviewed by Reuters, the report reveals that the imported coal-fired plant has not been operational for the last six months following the government's withdrawal of the emergency clause last year, which provided compensation to companies for generating electricity with costly imported coal.

This agreement provides relief to India, which aims to maximize electricity production from its coal facilities, especially amidst a rising conflict in the Middle East that is anticipated to cause a gas shortage during the summer.

South Korean shares rose on Friday and were set to log their first weekly gain in three, supported by bargain hunting for technology stocks, which outweighed concerns over the Iran war.

The won weakened, while the benchmark bond yield rose. The benchmark KOSPI was up 32.66 points, or 0.57%, at 5,795.88 as of 0411 GMT. It gained 5.5% for the week and 37.53% this year so far. Among index heavyweights, chipmaker SK Hynix rose 0.5%. Battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 0.67%.

Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were up 0.38% and down 0.53%, respectively. Steelmaker POSCO Holdings added 1.04%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics rose 1.45%.

Of the total 927 traded issues, 760 shares advanced, while 146 declined. South Korean authorities said on Friday that Iranian attacks on Qatar's energy facilities raise uncertainty, but downplayed concerns about disruption to its liquefied natural gas supply, citing alternative sources. (Reuters)

Shares of oil marketing companies rebounded sharply on Friday, with stocks of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Indian Oil Corporation rising up to 6% after crude oil prices eased.

The rally came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled that Israel would refrain from targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure, easing concerns over further supply disruptions.

HPCL led the gains, jumping 6% to an intraday high of ₹345 on the BSE. Shares of BPCL and IOCL also advanced 3.5% each, tracking the decline in crude prices and improving sentiment for oil marketing companies.

HDFC Bank share price slumped another 2% in intraday deals on Friday, March 20, extending its decline to the second day, after non-executive chairman Atanu Chakraborty abruptly resigned, citing differences over "values and ethics".

The shares of India's largest private lender hit the day's low of ₹781 and hovered close to their 52-week low of ₹772 hit in the last trading session. So far in March, HDFC Bank stock has lost over 10%, putting it on track for the worst monthly decline since March 2020.

Following Atanu Chakraborty's resignation, HDFC Bank hosted an investor conference call to discuss issues and assuage investor concerns, wherein Keki Mistry, a veteran of the HDFC Bank Group and interim chairman, said there may have been "relationship issues" between Chakraborty and the executive leadership, but found no "substantive" concerns behind the departure.

Silver prices recovered over 3% on Friday, March 20, after 3 sessions of losses on the back of a softer dollar. However, the white metal was headed for a weekly decline weighed down by a hawkish US Federal Reserve stance that has reduced expectations of near-term rate cuts. The decision to hold rates steady comes amid rising crude oil prices, which are adding to inflationary pressures.

On MCX, silver price advanced 3.7% or over ₹8,500 to ₹2,40,000 per kg. Meanwhile, MCX gold price also added 2.3% or around ₹2,350 to ₹1,48,302 per 10 gram.

Indian rupee weakens beyond 93 against US dollar, declines 0.4% on the day

VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments said:

"Market has been oscillating between some hope and fear during the last four days. The gains which Nifty accumulated in the previous three days have been completely wiped out with the 775 point loss yesterday. This oscillation between hope and fear is likely to continue in the near-term.

Today there is potential for the market to move up since hope of de-escalation is back. Israel PM’s remarks yesterday indicate that there won’t be further attacks on Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure. This has cooled the Brent crude to $ 106 from the peak of $118 yesterday.

The HDFC issue impacted Nifty Bank significantly yesterday and it also contributed to the crash in Nifty. This is likely to be a storm in a tea cup.

Even though the uncertainty continues, the market construct is ripe for a bounce back today. Beaten down financials and autos are set for a bounce back."

Broader markets also jumped in trade today with Nifty Midcap 100 rising over 1.5% and Nifty Smallcap 100 advancing over 1%

The Indian stock market opened higher on Friday, March 20, tracking gains in Asian markets and aided by short-covering after sharp losses in the previous session. Sentiment improved as crude oil prices eased and the US dollar softened, offering relief to investors.

Optimism was further supported by geopolitical signals, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicating that Israel would avoid targeting energy infrastructure and suggesting the conflict could end sooner than expected.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump ruled out deploying ground troops, saying he is “not putting troops anywhere,” easing fears of further escalation.

At 9:18 am, Sensex surged 883 points or 1.1% to 75,093 while Nifty rallied 254 points or 1.1% to 23,254.

Bank Nifty index plummeted 1,875.05 points, or 3.39%, to close at 53,451.00 on Thursday, forming a Gravestone Doji candlestick pattern on the daily chart, highlighting strong selling pressure from higher levels.

“From a technical perspective, the structure remains weak, and the recent price action indicates that bears continue to dominate. The Gravestone Doji signalling the possibility of further downside if follow-through selling persists. Looking ahead, the 53,900 – 54,000 zone is expected to act as an immediate resistance area for the Bank Nifty index,” said Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities.

As long as Bank Nifty trades below the 54,000 level, the downward bias is likely to continue. In the near term, the Bank Nifty index may test the 53,400 level, and a breach below this could open the doors for a further decline towards the 52,800 mark, Shah added.

Nifty 50 formed a large bearish candle with an unfilled gap on the daily chart, reflecting a sharp rejection from higher levels.

“A reasonable bearish candle was formed on the daily chart with upper and lower shadow and the opening huge downside gap remains partially filled. The new swing low has formed near the previous opening up gap support (15th April 2025) of around 22,900 levels and that led to minor recovery,” said Nagaraj Shetti, Senior Technical Research Analyst at HDFC Securities.

According to him, the overall chart pattern of Nifty 50 remains weak and Wednesday’s high of 23862 could now be considered as a new lower top of the pattern.

“As per this bearish pattern, one may expect further weakness in Nifty 50 in the near term. A slide below 22,900 could open the next downside target of 22,500 levels in the near term. Immediate resistance is placed at 23,350 levels,” said Shetti.

Sensex is trading near lower levels after recent weakness, indicating a cautious undertone with potential for intermittent pullbacks.

“The 73,700 – 73,800 zone stands as a crucial demand area where some stabilisation or short-covering may emerge. On the upside, the 74,700 – 74,800 range acts as the immediate resistance hurdle for Sensex, where any recovery attempt is likely to face supply pressure and profit booking,” said Hitesh Tailor, Technical Research Analyst at Choice Equity Broking.

With a decisive breakdown and close near the lower end of the range, the near-term outlook remains strongly bearish, and any pullback towards resistance levels is likely to be sold into unless sentiment improves materially, he added.

Iranian attacks have knocked out 17% of Qatar's liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe and Asia, QatarEnergy's CEO told Reuters on Thursday.

Saad al-Kaabi said two of Qatar's 14 LNG trains and one of its two gas-to-liquids (GTL) facilities were damaged in the unprecedented strikes. The repairs will sideline 12.8 million tons per year of LNG for three to five years, he said.

"I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that Qatar would be - Qatar and the region - in such an attack, especially from a brotherly Muslim country in the month of Ramadan, attacking us in this way," Kaabi said in an interview.

Crude oil prices eased after hitting their highest levels since July 2022. Brent crude fell 1.01% to $107.57 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined 1.74% to $93.89.

Gold prices were headed for their biggest weekly decline in six years as rising oil prices dampened expectations of interest rate cuts. Gold was little changed at $4,640.85 an ounce and is down nearly 8% this week. Silver slipped towards $72 an ounce, down about 10% for the week.

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 205,000 for the week ended 14 March. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 215,000 claims for the latest week.

China left its benchmark lending rates unchanged for the 10th consecutive month in March. The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) remained at 3.0%, while the five-year LPR was held at 3.5%.

The Bank of England kept its benchmark rate unchanged at 3.75%, with policymakers saying they were “ready to act” to address risks arising from the Middle East conflict. The Monetary Policy Committee voted 9–0 to hold rates. It also warned that inflation could rise to 3.5% over the next two quarters.

The European Central Bank kept its key interest rate unchanged at 2% and warned that the war in Iran was clouding the outlook for growth and inflation in the eurozone. It said it would continue to monitor the impact of the conflict on inflation, including energy prices, and economic growth.

The dollar slid from multi-month highs this week as soaring energy prices upended the outlook for global interest rates, with the U.S. Federal Reserve left alone as the only major central bank that is not expected to hike rates this year.

Before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began at the end of February, investors expected two Fed rate cuts this year and now think even one is a distant prospect.

The euro, yen, sterling, Swiss franc and Australian dollar were all set for weekly gains against the greenback as policymakers laid the groundwork for higher interest rates in response to war in the Middle East choking oil and gas supplies.

The euro, marginally softer at $1.1569 in the Asia morning, is up 1.4% for the week. The yen, which steadied around 157.88, has gained 1.2% and sterling, hovering at $1.3422, is up a bit more than 1.5%.

The dollar index was steady at 99.359, but was on track for a 1.1% weekly decline, its largest since late January.

Super Micro Computer's stock crashed by 12% in the post-market trade after the US Justice Department charged company officials with conspiring to unlawfully divert US artificial intelligence technology to China. The US Justice Department charged three company officials, including one co-founder, with illegally selling NVIDIA chips to China. After ending at $30.79 per share, Super Micro Computer's stock price finished at $27.14 per share, logging a loss of around 12% from Thursday's close.

However, the company issued a statement after the news broke. The Nasdaq-listed company made it clear that the company is nowhere in the picture, as its three officials have been charged, not the company.

“Supermicro was informed today that the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has unsealed an indictment of three individuals associated with the Company in connection with an alleged conspiracy to commit export-control violations,” Super Micro Computer said.

Global consulting company Accenture saw its shares rise 4.7% on the NYSE during intraday trade on March 19 to hit a day’s high of $204.20 apiece, as investors reacted positively to the company’s financial performance in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, driven by record bookings and margin expansion.

The Dublin, Ireland-based company reported an 8% jump in revenue in US dollar terms and 4% in local currency to $18.04 billion, beating estimates of $17.84 billion.

Revenue from the consulting segment came in at $8.86 billion, while managed services stood at $9.18 billion.

Asian markets traded mixed on Friday, following overnight losses on Wall Street, amid selling across asset classes. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.3% after losing 2.6% in the last session. Japan’s markets were closed for a public holiday. South Korea’s Kospi rose nearly 1%, while the Kosdaq gained 0.94%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures indicated a lower opening.

The trends on Gift Nifty also signals an upbeat start for the benchmark indices, Nifty 50 and Sensex. Gift Nifty was trading around 23,213 level, a premium of nearly 158 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close

The Indian stock market is expected to open higher on Friday, following mixed global market cues, and amid short-covering after steep losses in the previous session. The trends on Gift Nifty also signals an upbeat start for the benchmark indices, Nifty 50 and Sensex.Pranati Deva is a seasoned financial journalist with over a decade of experience in high-pressure newsroom environments, currently working as a Senior Sub Editor at LiveMint. Over the years, she has developed a reputation for sharp editorial judgement, a strong grasp of market dynamics, and the ability to translate complex financial developments into clear, engaging stories for a wide audience.

Her core areas of coverage include stock markets, leading listed companies, currencies, and commodities, with a particular strength in fast-paced, real-time market reporting. She is known for handling breaking market news, earnings-driven stock movements, and macroeconomic developments with speed, accuracy, and context—qualities that are essential in financial journalism.

Pranati has built a diverse and credible professional track record across some of India’s most respected news organisations, including MintGenie, CNBC-TV18, Business Standard and EconomicTimes.com. During her stints at these platforms, she produced data-driven market stories, curated and steered live blogs during volatile trading sessions, and conducted interviews with market veterans, fund managers, economists, and industry experts. Her work often combines on-ground reporting with analytical depth, helping readers make sense of daily market fluctuations and longer-term trends.

An alumnus of the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communications and Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Pranati brings a strong academic foundation to her journalism. She specialises in real-time financial reporting, with a keen focus on precision, balance, and insight, aiming to decode market movements in a way that is both informative and accessible to readers across experience levels.

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