₹11 लाख करोड़ की बर्बादी के बाद Sensex में 947 अंकों की वापसी — 24 घंटे में क्या बदल गया?
Indian equity markets made a strong comeback on Friday, March 20, 2026, with benchmark indices bouncing sharply after Thursday's brutal sell-off. The BSE Sensex climbed 947 points, or 1.28%, to 75,154, while the Nifty 50 gained 276 points, or 1.20%, to settle around 23,278 in early trade.
The previous session had been a bloodbath. On March 19, the Sensex crashed 2,497 points and the Nifty 50 tumbled 776 points — erasing ₹11 lakh crore in market capitalisation in a single day and bringing BSE-listed firms' combined value down to ₹427 lakh crore. The sell-off was triggered by a fresh surge in global crude oil prices above $115 per barrel, driven by continued attacks on key energy infrastructure across the Gulf.
Friday's recovery was broad-based, with IT stocks and PSU banks leading the charge. Tech Mahindra surged 2.78%, Infosys gained 2.37%, HCL Technologies rose 2.15%, and SBI climbed 2.22%. Metal and mining stocks were also standout performers, jumping up to 7% as sentiment improved on reports that the US and European allies offered to help secure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz — which partially eased oil price fears.
That said, caution remains warranted. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹7,558 crore on Thursday, continuing a pattern of persistent risk-off outflows. Since March 1, FPIs have pulled out over ₹80,000 crore from Indian markets — a staggering ₹8.5 billion in just three weeks.
India VIX — the volatility gauge — fell 4.9% on Friday to 21.69, signalling some relief, but it remains elevated above pre-conflict levels. Wall Street had closed in the red overnight, with the S&P 500 down 0.27% and the Dow Jones falling 0.44%.
Globally, Asian markets were mixed. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.74%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.40%.
Hitesh Tailor, research analyst at Choice Equity Broking, noted that the sharp prior-day sell-off alongside persistent global uncertainties means investors should "maintain a cautious and disciplined approach."
For now, the Nifty holds key support at 23,000, with resistance at 23,500. Whether Friday's bounce turns into a sustained recovery depends heavily on the trajectory of crude oil prices and any de-escalation signals from the Middle East.
