Stock market today: Following the de-escalation in the US-Iran war, the Dow Jones futures shot up by nearly 2% during the early morning session on Wednesday.(An AI-generated image)AI Quick ReadStock market today, 8 April 2026: The Indian stock market witnessed another volatile session on Tuesday but ended higher for the third consecutive session. The Nifty 50 index gained 155 points and closed at 23,123. The BSE Sensex shot up 509 points and closed at 74,616, while the Bank Nifty index finished 107 points higher at 52,716.
Sectorally, most segments participated in the upmove, with IT, realty, and metals leading the gains, while banking, pharma, and auto stocks lagged. Broader markets remained relatively subdued; however, market breadth stayed on the advancing side, indicating selective buying interest.
Following the de-escalation in the US-Iran war and today's crash in crude oil prices, the Gift Nifty index skyrocketed during the early morning session on Wednesday. The live index was up by over 700 points or more than 3%, signalling a big gap-up opening for the Indian stock market today.
Asian markets also saw strong buying following positive developments in the Middle East. Asian markets such as Japan and South Korea are seeing sharp gains, signalling broad-based risk-on sentiment.
Expecting a bug gap-up opening on Dalal Street, Hariprasad K, SEBI-registered Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth, said the Indian markets are set for a strong gap-up opening, with Gift Nifty rebounding sharply to the 23,800 zone after a weak overnight trend. The shift reflects a decisive improvement in global risk sentiment following a temporary de-escalation in West Asia tensions.
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, barely an hour before President Donald Trump's deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking on this development, Hariprasad K of Livelong Wealth, said, “The key trigger is the announcement of a two-week pause in US military action, alongside Iran’s agreement to facilitate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. This has significantly reduced immediate concerns around energy supply disruptions, which had been a major overhang for global markets.”
After the de-escalation in the US-Iran war, crude prices crashed in the early morning session on Wednesday. By 7:30 AM, the WTI crude oil price had crashed by around 14.50% and slipped below the psychological $100/bbl mark. The black gold was trading red at around $96.50/bbl.
“Crude oil prices are nosediving today after the de-escalation in the US-Iran war and hopes of the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz, normalising the supply chain for the global energy requirements,” said Anuj Gupta, a SEBI-registered market expert.
Gold and silver rates today witnessed strong buying in the early morning Asian session. The COMEX gold rate today opened with an upside gap and touched an intraday high of $4,886 per ounce. Currently, the COMEX gold price is oscillating around $4,850 per ounce.
Likewise, the COMEX silver rate today saw strong buying, reaching an intraday high of $77.445 per ounce. Currently, the precious white metal is trading higher by 6.72% at $76.825 per ounce.
Speaking on the gold and silver prices, Anuj Gupta said the COMEX gold rate today is in a broader $4,650 to 4,900 per ounce range, while the COMEX silver rate today is in a broader $62 to $80 per ounce range. On breaking above the $80 levels, we can expect the precious white metal to reach $85 and $90.
Volatility is likely to ease in today’s session. India VIX, which closed near 24.7, may see further cooling as fear unwinds, leading to some moderation in option premiums and improved trading conditions.
FIIs remained net sellers on Tuesday by offloading Indian stocks worth ₹8,692.11 crore in the cash segment. However, they bought shares worth ₹1,347.85 crore in the Index Futures and ₹1,031.28 crore in the Index Option segment. DIIs remained net buyers, buying shares worth ₹7,979.50 crore in cash.
Speaking on the outlook of the Nifty 50 today, Ajit Mishra, SVP — Research at Religare Broking, said the Nifty 50 index inches towards its immediate hurdle—the 20 DEMA, currently placed around 23,400—a breather cannot be ruled out before the next leg of the up move.
“On the downside, support is seen at 22,700–22,500 levels. Traders should maintain a cautious stance, focus on stock-specific opportunities, and continue to manage overnight risks prudently,” Ajit Mishra said.
On the outlook of the Bank Nifty today, Vatsal Bhuva, Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, said the index closed with a marginal uptick, forming a bullish candlestick on the daily chart, indicating buying interest near key support levels. On the hourly chart, the index has broken above its falling channel resistance and is sustaining above the 20 and 50 SMAs, suggesting a short-term pullback.
“With the RBI monetary policy ahead, volatility is likely to remain elevated. In the near term, the index may move towards the 54,000 zone, aligned with its 20-day SMA, while immediate support is seen near 52,000-52200 levels,” Vatsal Bhuva added.
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 eight buy-or-sell stocks for intraday trading: Natco Pharma, LTM, Petronet LNG, Asian Paints, Ashok Leyland, ABB India, Polycab, and Maruti Suzuki India.
1] Natco Pharma: Buy at ₹1082, Target ₹1160, Stop Loss ₹1045; and
2] LTM: Buy at ₹4442, Target ₹4750, Stop Loss ₹4290.
3] Petronet LNG: Buy at ₹255, Target ₹265, Stop Loss ₹248;
4] Asian Paints: Buy at ₹2186, Target ₹2250, Stop Loss ₹2150; and
5] Ashok Leyland: Buy at ₹153, Target ₹161, Stop Loss ₹148.
6] ABB India: Buy at ₹6269, Target ₹6500, Stop Loss ₹6160;
7] Polycab: Buy at ₹7225, Target ₹7520, Stop Loss ₹7100; and
8] Maruti Suzuki India: Buy at ₹12798, Target ₹13450, Stop Loss ₹12600.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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).