Indian equity benchmarks remained in green in morning deals, tracking a rally in Sun Pharma and a positive trend in global equity markets. Traders took support with the report stating that India is following a diversified strategy to boost exports to China by strengthening domestic capacities while reducing import dependence through diversification of its supplier base, as complete decoupling from Beijing is difficult since Chinese inputs support the country's industrial growth. Some support also came as the Commerce and Industry Ministry stated that three-day trade talks between Indian and US officials concluded on April 23, 2026 with both sides agreeing to remain engaged to sustain the momentum. During the discussions, the two sides covered several areas, including market access, non-tariff measures, technical barriers to trade, customs and trade facilitation, investment promotion, economic security alignment, and digital trade. On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly in green amid easing geopolitical tensions, with U.S. President Donald Trump indicating that the Iran will end soon and the U.S. will be victorious. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 77088.01, up by 423.80 points or 0.55% after trading in a range of 76754.20 and 77341.53. There were 24 stocks advancing against 6 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Healthcare up by 2.43%, Utilities up by 2.27%, Power up by 1.95%, IT up by 1.94% and Metal up by 1.94%, while Bankex down by 0.13% was the lone losing index on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Sun Pharma up by 8.94%, Adani Ports & SEZ up by 3.32%, Tech Mahindra up by 2.14%, Tata Steel up by 2.12% and Infosys up by 1.93%. On the flip side, Axis Bank down by 3.75%, Bajaj Finance down by 1.20%, Bharat Electronics down by 1.05%, ICICI Bank down by 0.63% and Bajaj Finserv down by 0.19% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that the free trade agreement (FTA) with New Zealand, which is scheduled to be signed on April 27, 2026 is expected to boost trade between India and New Zealand in the coming months. The FTA will create significant opportunities for domestic firms, including leather exporters from the city of the Taj Mahal. Agra is one of India's largest leather and footwear clusters, playing a key role in both domestic supply and exports.

Piyush Goyal and New Zealand's Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay held discussions with businesses from different sectors, including leather and sports goods. The FTA aims to double bilateral trade and facilitate duty-free access to the island nation's markets for Indian companies, and attract $20 billion in investment over the next 15 years.

Goyal stated ‘Goods exported from India to New Zealand will go without any tax, creating significant opportunities, including for Agra's leather industry and other sectors’. Moreover, he added the pact is expected to enhance two-way commerce which stood around $2.4 billion.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24058.30, up by 160.35 points or 0.67% after trading in a range of 23936.20 and 24107.60. There were 40 stocks advancing against 10 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Sun Pharma up by 8.88%, Adani Ports & SEZ up by 3.32%, JSW Steel up by 3.21%, Tech Mahindra up by 2.31% and Wipro up by 2.26%. On the flip side, Shriram Finance down by 4.35%, Axis Bank down by 3.65%, Bajaj Finance down by 1.01%, Bharat Electronics down by 0.94% and Coal India down by 0.72% were the top losers. 

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Nikkei 225 surged 1038.82 points or 1.74% to 60,755.00, Taiwan Weighted added 1068.74 points or 2.75% to 40,001.14, Jakarta Composite gained 46.13 points or 0.65% to 7,175.62, Shanghai Composite strengthened 4.38 points or 0.11% to 4,084.28 and KOSPI increased 157.65 points or 2.43% to 6,633.28.

On the flip side, Hang Seng declined 29.07 points or 0.11% to 25,949.00 and Straits Times fell 18.3 points or 0.37% to 4,904.56.