Mumbai, May 21: The Indian stock market closed in positive territory on Wednesday, with the benchmark indices showing gains despite some ups and downs during the day.

The Sensex reached an intra-day high of 82,021 but later retreated slightly to close at 81,596.63, up by 410.19 points or 0.51 per cent.

The Nifty also ended the day higher, gaining 129.55 points or 0.52 per cent to settle at 24,813.45.

“The index was caught in a tug-of-war between bulls and bears, ending the day volatile and directionless,” Sundar Kewat of Ashika Institutional Equity said.

“Meanwhile, pressure mounted on consumer durables, private banks, and media stocks, weighing on overall sentiment,” he added.

On the Nifty options front, significant ‘call OI buildup’ was noted at the 25,000 strike, while 24,700 and 24,000 held the highest open interest on the put side.

Most stocks in the Sensex performed well, led by Bajaj Finserv, Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, Sun Pharma, and Bajaj Finance, which saw their share prices increase by up to 2.02 per cent.

On the other hand, top losers included IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Power Grid Corporation, ITC, and Ultratech Cements, with losses reaching up to 1.87 per cent.

The midcap and smallcap segments performed well too, as the Nifty Midcap100 index rose by 0.78 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap100 gained 0.38 per cent.

Sector-wise, all major indices on the NSE finished in green except for consumer durables.

Realty and pharma sectors led the gains, with the Nifty Realty index climbing 1.72 per cent and the Pharma index rising 1.25 per cent.

However, the fear index, India VIX, which measures market volatility, moved up by 0.93 per cent to 17.55 points.

“Markets exhibited a broadly positive undertone today; however, overall sentiment remained confined within a narrow range, indicating risk of “sell on rallies” strategy in the near future amid escalating uncertainty around India-US trade negotiations,” said Vinod Nair of Geojit Investments Limited.

New Delhi, May 21: India is in a stronger position than other countries to withstand global trade disruptions, in the wake of the US tariff turmoil, due to the large size of its domestic market and the country’s low dependence on goods exports, according to a Moody’s report released on Wednesday.

The report points out that the government initiatives, such as increasing infrastructure investment, steps taken to boost private consumption, will help shield India’s economy from weakening global demand.

“India’s large domestic economy and limited exposure to global goods trade puts it in a stronger position to absorb external shocks,” the report said.

Some sectors — like automobiles, which export to the US — may encounter global headwinds, despite their diversified operations. But India’s robust services sector and large domestic economy provide strong buffers, according to the report.

The report also states that declining inflation is expected to pave the way for a soft monetary policy with interest rate cuts to spur growth. The banking sector also has sufficient liquidity to support credit growth, according to the report.

The Moody’s report also observes that the recent India-Pakistan tensions are more likely to weigh on Pakistan’s economy than India’s. The key economic hubs in India are far from the conflict zones, and bilateral economic ties remain limited.

However, a prolonged escalation could lead to increased defence spending, which might slow fiscal consolidation efforts and impact government finances, the report added.

Moody’s Ratings had earlier this month pegged India’s GDP growth at 6.3 per cent for 2025 and expects the economy to pick up momentum in 2026 to record a 6.5 per cent growth rate.

The forecast is in line with the IMF outlook, which sees India as the only major economy in the world to record an over 6 per cent growth rate in 2025.

Mumbai, May 20: Gurugram-based renewable energy player ACME Solar Holdings Limited has reported a steep decline of over 77 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in its consolidated net profit, which dropped to Rs 122 crore in the March 2025 quarter (Q4 FY25).

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 532.3 crore in the same period last financial year (Q4 FY24), according to its stock exchange filing.

For the full financial year (FY25), ACME Solar’s net profit declined by around 64 per cent to Rs 250.8 crore, compared to Rs 697.7 crore in FY24.

The sharp fall in profits came despite a strong rise in revenue. The company’s revenue from operations in Q4 stood at Rs 486.88 crore, up from Rs 295.16 crore a year ago — marking a YoY growth of nearly 65 per cent.

Total income also increased significantly to Rs 539.2 crore in Q4 FY25, from Rs 318 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal — showing a 69.56 per cent rise.

However, finance costs grew to Rs 205.5 crore from Rs 177.3 crore in the same period last fiscal — an increase of around 15.90 per cent.

Depreciation and amortisation expenses also rose sharply to Rs 102.2 crore, up 66.99 per cent from Rs 61.2 crore in Q4 FY24.

Despite the decline in profits, the company highlighted strong operational progress.

Chairperson and Managing Director Manoj Kumar Upadhyay said FY25 was a ‘remarkable year’ for ACME Solar, as it expanded its operational portfolio and commissioned its largest single-location project — a 1,200 MW SECI ISTS solar project.

He added that the company is now witnessing stronger earnings performance, with Q4 revenue rising 70 per cent YoY to Rs 539 crore and EBITDA jumping 118 per cent to Rs 488 crore.

He also stated that ACME’s focus on hybrid and firm-dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE) solutions is making the business more resilient.