By Raveena Kumari 
Mumbai, August 18, 2025:
Indian equity markets opened on a strong note on Monday, with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty surging in early trade. The rally was buoyed by two key factors — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of major GST reforms by Diwali and global rating agency S&P’s upgrade of India’s sovereign credit rating.
In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225, Shanghai’s SSE Composite, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng traded in positive territory, while South Korea’s Kospi quoted lower.
Sectoral Movers
The uptrend was led by auto, consumer discretionary, and consumer durables stocks, which outperformed the broader market.
Among Sensex gainers were:
Maruti Suzuki
Bajaj Finance
Mahindra & Mahindra
UltraTech Cement
Trent
Bajaj Finserv
On the flip side, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), ITC, HCL Technologies, and Infosys were among the laggards.
Market Expert View
“There are strong tailwinds for the market with potential to take it higher. Declarations by the Prime Minister on the next major reforms in GST by Diwali are a big positive. S&P upgrading India’s sovereign credit rating is another major positive,” said VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services.
Analysts expect foreign inflows and sectoral strength to sustain the momentum, with reforms and macroeconomic optimism adding to investor confidence.
Khabar Rojana