17.03.202611:50:02UTC+00Sensex Advances for 2nd Day

India’s BSE Sensex advanced 568 points on Tuesday to close at 76,070.8, marking a second consecutive session of gains despite rising crude oil prices and continued foreign fund outflows amid persistent geopolitical tensions. Sentiment received some support from expectations of a full restoration of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

On the sectoral front, metal and auto stocks outperformed. Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bharat Electronics, Larsen & Toubro, Bharti Airtel and Maruti were among the key gainers, rising between 1.9% and 4.4%. Banking shares also underpinned the rally, with ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Axis Bank each advancing more than 1%.

In contrast, major IT names such as Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and HCLTech underperformed, declining as much as 1.4%. FMCG and select consumer stocks saw profit-taking, with ITC slipping 1.1% and Hindustan Unilever easing 0.7%.