The key domestic indices ended with modest losses on Thursday amid heightened volatility due to Sensex's weekly expiry, despite positive global cues. Market participants also monitored developments around the de-escalation between Iran and the US. The Nifty ended below the 24,200 level. Private bank, PSU bank and auto shares declined, while metal and IT shares advanced.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 122.56 points or 0.16% to 77,988.68. The Nifty 50 index fell 34.55 points or 0.14% to 24,196.75.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index jumped 0.52% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.99%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,808 shares rose and 1,537 shares fell. A total of 149 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, declined 3.12% to 18.09.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Private Bank index shed 0.66% to 26,850.15. The index rose 1.23% in the past trading session.

HDFC Bank (down 1.93%), RBL Bank (down 1.03%), Federal Bank (down 0.87%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (down 0.86%), ICICI Bank (down 0.38%), and Axis Bank (down 0.29%) fell.

On the other hand, Yes Bank (up 3.05%), IDFC First Bank (up 1.48%) and IndusInd Bank (up 1.05%) edged higher.

Stocks in Spotlight:

HDFC Asset Management Company (AMC) shed 0.18%. The company reported a 2.42% decline in standalone net profit to Rs 623.29 crore despite a 16.56% jump in revenue from operations to Rs 1,050.48 crore in Q4 FY26 over Q4 FY25.

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company rose 1.38% after the company reported a 7.25% increase in standalone net profit to Rs 546.56 crore on a 13.12% jump in total income to Rs 6,618.76 crore in Q4 FY26 over Q4 FY25.

HDB Financial Services surged 6.64% after the company's standalone net profit rose 41.4% YoY and 16.6% QoQ to Rs 751 crore in Q4 FY26 from Rs 531 crore in Q4 FY25 and Rs 644 crore in Q3 FY26. Net income came in at Rs 2,769 crore, up 19.8% YoY and 4% QoQ. Profit before tax stood at Rs 991 crore in Q4 FY26, up 44.3% YoY and 17.6% QoQ.

SG Finserve rallied 10.81% after the company reported a robust performance for Q4 FY26, with standalone net profit rising 78% year-on-year to Rs 42.3 crore in Q4 FY26, compared with Rs 23.8 crore in the same quarter last year. On a sequential basis, net profit increased 30% from Rs 32.5 crore reported in Q3 FY26.

Total income surged 95% YoY to Rs 105.7 crore in the quarter ended 31 March 2026, while it grew 23% quarter-on-quarter from Rs 85.8 crore.

Lotus Chocolate Company fell 4.19% after reporting a standalone net loss of Rs 4.47 crore in Q4 FY26, compared with a net profit of Rs 1.42 crore in the same period last year. Revenue from operations declined 19.47% year-on-year to Rs 126.78 crore during the quarter.

GTPL Hathway tanked 4.90% after the company reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 15.01 crore in Q4 FY26, compared with a net profit of Rs 10.64 crore posted in Q4 FY25. Revenue from operations rose 3.68% year-on-year to Rs 923.84 crore in the quarter ended 31 March 2026.

Tejas Networks tumbled 4.03% after the company reported a net loss of Rs 211 crore in Q4 FY26 as against a net loss of Rs 72 crore in Q4 FY25. Net revenue fell 83% to Rs 333 crore in the March quarter from Rs 1,907 crore recorded in the same period last year.

Amir Chand Jagdish Kumar (Exports) added 1.44% after the company's consolidated net profit surged 93.96% to Rs 34.68 crore on 15.03% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 571.21 crore in Q3 FY26 over Q3 FY25.

Shares of GMR Airports declined 2.42% after the company reported subdued passenger traffic growth for Q4 FY26, weighed down by a mix of operational and geopolitical challenges.

The airport operator handled around 32 million passengers during the January-March quarter, registering a modest 0.9% YoY growth. Domestic traffic rose 1.6% YoY to 24.1 million passengers, while international traffic fell 1.3% YoY to 7.7 million, pointing to an uneven recovery across segments.

Enviro Infra Engineers (EIEL) rose 1.59% after the company announced a strong inflow of new orders worth over Rs 2,240 crore since March 2026, significantly strengthening its order book and revenue visibility for the next 15'24 months.

John Cockerill India jumped 3.66% after the company received a contract from JSW Steel Coated Products to design a Continuous Galvanizing Line (CGL#3) at the Khopoli plant. The scope of work includes design, manufacturing, supply, and supervision of erection & commissioning of continuous galvanizing line (CGL#3). The contract is valued at Rs 300 crore.

GHV Infra Projects rallied 0.21%. The company announced that it has secured a construction contract from APCO Infratech for road construction and other miscellaneous civil works in Maharashtra.

RailTel Corporation of India rose 0.39%. The company received a letter of intent (LoI) worth Rs 100 crore from the Divisional Commissioner, Konkan Division.

Global Markets:

European stocks traded higher on Thursday, tracking gains in Asian markets, as investors assessed strong U.K. GDP data and digested Eurozone inflation data for March.

Euro Area inflation was revised higher to 2.6% in March 2026 from 2.5% earlier and 1.9% in February, driven mainly by a sharp rise in energy prices. Core inflation eased to 2.3%, while price pressures moderated across services, goods and food. On a monthly basis, CPI rose 1.3%, the highest since October 2022, with inflation increasing across major economies including Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

The UK economy expanded in February, according to official data released Thursday by the Office for National Statistics. The monthly reading follows growth of 0.1% in January. Growth was driven by broad-based strength, with services activity rising 0.5% month-on-month and industrial production increasing 0.5% month-on-month. Construction output jumped 1.0% month-on-month despite unseasonably wet weather in February.

Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei 225 hitting a record high level, as they tracked overnight gains on Wall Street as hopes of a U.S.-Iran deal grew.

The Iran war is 'very close to over,' President Donald Trump said in a media interview that aired on Wednesday, again reportedly claiming that Tehran wants to 'make a deal very badly.'

A White House official was quoted by the media on Tuesday, stating that a second round of negotiations between Washington and Iran is under discussion. According to media reports, nothing has been officially scheduled yet with respect to these talks.

Meanwhile, China's economy accelerated in the first quarter, supported by robust export growth, which helped offset tepid domestic demand, even as the growth outlook was clouded by the Iran war-fueled energy shock threatening global demand.

Gross domestic product grew 5% in the three months to March, data from the National Statistics Bureau showed Thursday, accelerating from 4.5% in the prior quarter.

Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose to new all-time highs on Wednesday, building on the week's strong gains as investors remained hopeful about the Iran war potentially ending soon.

The broad market index gained 0.80%, ending at 7,022.95. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.59% to 24,016.02, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 72.27 points, or 0.15%, to close at 48,463.72.

The U.S. economy grew at a 'slight to modest pace' over the past six weeks while consumers battled higher prices, resulting in more people reaching out for assistance, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday.

In the central bank's periodic 'Beige Book' accounting of activity, the 12 Fed districts reported the Iran war as 'a major source of uncertainty' for businesses. Price growth was reported as 'moderate' even with a sharp rise in energy and fuel costs. Consumers struggled to deal with the conditions, according to the report, which covered the prior six weeks.