Indian equity benchmarks remained in positive territory in morning session, as cooling crude oil prices and hopes of de-escalation in the Middle East lifted sentiment. Traders took support as the report said that India will push for further strengthening of the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the upcoming ministerial meeting in Cameroon so that it can play an important role in promoting global trade at a time when the world is witnessing turmoil due to various geopolitical factors. Traders overlooked exchange data showed foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained sellers, offloading equities worth over Rs 7,558 crore on March 19, marking their 15th consecutive session of selling. Sector-wise, port sector’s stocks remained in watch as Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said India has taken swift and coordinated measures to safeguard the country's maritime trade amid the evolving situation in West Asia to ensure seamless cargo movement and minimal disruption to supply chains. On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed as investors remained cautious about the outlook for interest rate cuts amid inflation worries driven by rising oil prices. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 75035.13, up by 827.89 points or 1.12% after trading in a range of 74535.26 and 75204.64. There were 28 stocks advancing against 2 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Metal up by 2.45%, Utilities up by 2.31%, Power up by 2.25%, PSU up by 2.05% and IT up by 1.99%, while there was no losing sectoral index on the BSE. 

The top gainers on the Sensex were Tata Steel up by 3.96%, Tech Mahindra up by 3.45%, Reliance Industries up by 2.78%, SBI up by 2.76% and HCL Technologies up by 2.66%. On the flip side, HDFC Bank down by 1.96% and Bajaj Finance down by 1.09% were the few losers.

Meanwhile, to maintain uninterrupted cargo movement and minimal disruption to supply chains, Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said that India has taken swift and coordinated measures to safeguard the country's maritime trade amid the evolving situation in West Asia.

Sonowal said that the maritime sector in the country continues to stand strong, responsive, and fully equipped to handle global uncertainties while supporting its economic momentum.  He stated ‘The Ministry has taken swift and coordinated measures to safeguard the nation's maritime trade amid the evolving situation in the Middle East. Our ports have demonstrated resilience and capability in responding to emerging challenges.’

He mentioned these steps have been taken through efficient handling of diverted vessels along the Western coast, humanitarian assistance extended to international crew, or proactive trade facilitation measures implemented at key ports like Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23244.15, up by 242.00 points or 1.05% after trading in a range of 23109.90 and 23319.70. There were 44 stocks advancing against 6 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Tata Steel up by 3.93%, JSW Steel up by 3.63%, Tech Mahindra up by 3.16%, Reliance Industries up by 2.78% and SBI up by 2.67%. On the flip side, Shriram Finance down by 2.24%, HDFC Bank down by 2.00%, Bajaj Finance down by 1.13%, HDFC Life Insurance down by 0.58% and Nestle down by 0.35% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Taiwan Weighted lost 138.49 points or 0.41% to 33,551.19, Hang Seng declined 161.58 points or 0.63% to 25,339.00 and Straits Times fell 13.16 points or 0.26% to 4,954.45. On the flip side, Shanghai Composite strengthened 3.02 points or 0.08% to 4,009.57 and KOSPI increased 2.70 points or 0.05% to 5,765.92.