Sensex, Nifty Surge Over 1% as IT Stocks Lead Third Day of Gains

Indian benchmark indices, Nifty 50 and Sensex, extended their winning streak for the third consecutive session on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The rally was spearheaded by a 4% surge in the Nifty IT index and supported by easing crude oil prices, which retreated toward $101 per barrel. Despite a fresh wave of geopolitical volatility in the Middle East and record lows for the Indian Rupee, market sentiment remained buoyed by strong Domestic Institutional Investor (DII) buying and short-covering in heavyweights.

Sensex jumps 800 points, Nifty 50 crosses 23,800 as IT stocks rally and India VIX cools

The domestic equity market witnessed a robust afternoon trade, with the Sensex surging over 800 points and the Nifty 50 crossing the 23,800 mark. While the underlying West Asia conflict, highlighted by the targeted killing of Iran’s security chief overnight, keeps global investors on edge, Dalal Street appears to be discounting the worst of the energy shock.

The primary catalyst for today’s optimism was a broad-based rebound in IT majors and a cooling off in the India VIX, which slumped another 4.5% to 18.89. This reduction in the “fear gauge” suggest that traders are capitalizing on attractive valuations after last week’s steep correction.

What’s driving today’s stock market rally? IT stocks, oil price relief, and short covering explained

The market’s resilience today can be attributed to several key fundamental factors:

• IT sector rebound: The Nifty IT index outperformed, rising over 4%. Index heavyweights like Infosys and Tech Mahindra led the charge, gaining over 4% each as investors pivoted back to large-cap tech.
• Oil price relief: Brent crude prices declined over 2% to approximately $101.16 per barrel. The fact that prices have not spiked toward the feared $120 level despite the war has provided significant relief to oil-importing economies like India.
• Short-covering momentum: Following the expiry of weekly F&O contracts for the Nifty 50, aggressive short-covering pushed the indices to their intraday highs.
• Institutional balancing: While Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remained net sellers, offloading nearly ₹4,741 crore on Tuesday, DIIs countered this by pumping in over ₹5,225 crore, effectively cushioning the market’s downside.

Midcap and Smallcap indices also outperformed, rising up to 2% as bargain hunters targeted quality stocks in the broader market.

NIFTY key technical trade levels to watch:

• Resistance: 24,000.00 This is the psychological “make or break” level. A decisive close above this hurdle is required to signal a trend reversal and open the path toward 24,250.
• Invalidation: 23,750.00 This is the immediate floor for the current rally. Staying above this keeps the bullish momentum alive; falling below it suggest the short-term bounce is losing steam.
• Support: 23,400.00 Sellers are likely to face strong opposition here. This level serves as the current tactical floor, and maintaining it is crucial to avoid a slide back to the March lows.
• Next target: 24,150.00 If bulls reclaim full control and flip the 24,000 resistance into support, these are the next Fibonacci-aligned levels to watch.

Market outlook: Geopolitics and the federal reserve

As we move into the final sessions of the week, the market trajectory will be dictated by two main variables: the evolving US-Israel-Iran war and the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.

While reports of a reopened communication channel between the US and Iran have offered a glimmer of hope for a de-escalation “within weeks,” the threat of energy infrastructure attacks in the UAE continues to loom over oil markets. Furthermore, the Indian Rupee’s slump to an all-time low of 92.58 against the US dollar may force the RBI to intervene, potentially impacting banking liquidity.

For the rest of the week, expect the Nifty 50 to remain range-bound between 23,400 and 24,100. A “risk-off” sentiment could return quickly if crude oil sustains a move back above $105, but for now, the “buy on dips” strategy fueled by domestic liquidity is winning the tug-of-war.