Equity benchmarks reversed early losses to trade higher in Thursday’s mid-day session, with metal stocks emerging as major gainers. The BSE Sensex climbed 251.22 points or 0.34 per cent to 73,981.45, while the NSE Nifty rose 98.50 points or 0.44 per cent to 22,435.80 as of 12.30 PM.

Market breadth remained overwhelmingly positive with 2,910 stocks advancing against 920 declines on the BSE. Trading volumes showed 3,971 stocks traded, with 141 remaining unchanged. Additionally, 47 stocks hit 52-week highs while 73 touched 52-week lows.

The broader market outperformed the benchmarks, with Nifty Next 50 rising 740.10 points or 1.25 per cent to 60,181.75. Nifty Midcap Select index gained 55.70 points or 0.50 per cent to reach 11,224.20.

Bank and financial stocks showed modest gains, with Nifty Bank up 79.55 points or 0.16 per cent at 48,569.50 and Nifty Financial Services rising 49.55 points or 0.21 per cent to 23,100.15.

Asian Paints emerged as the top gainer on NSE, surging 3.69 per cent to ₹2,244.10 with trading volume of 8,99,838 shares. Other significant gainers included BPCL, up 3.55 per cent at ₹264.91, Tata Steel rising 2.91 per cent to ₹150.35, Coal India advancing 2.89 per cent to ₹378.90, and Hindalco gaining 2.71 per cent to reach ₹675.15.

On the losing side, Trent declined the most, falling 1.82 per cent to ₹5,013.40. Tech Mahindra dropped 1.59 per cent to ₹1,513.60, while HDFC Life, Tata Consumer Products, and HDFC Bank fell 0.86 per cent, 0.78 per cent, and 0.56 per cent respectively.

The market recovery comes after a cautious opening, supported by the RBI’s liquidity measures including a ₹1 lakh crore open market operation and $10 billion forex swap. The early market sentiment was also bolstered by US President Donald Trump’s decision to delay auto tariffs.

Circuit filters were triggered for 290 stocks hitting the upper circuit and 158 touching the lower circuit during the session.

Global factors continue to influence trading, with oil prices remaining under pressure below $70 per barrel, providing some relief to import-dependent sectors of the Indian economy.