As all sectors rise, the Sensex rises 600 points and the Nifty approaches 22,700; the smallcap index does better.

After strong global signals bolstered mood, benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex got off to a strong start on March 18 and extended gains for a second consecutive session. Building on their recovery from a four-week collapse on Wall Street, US stocks increased on Monday. Traders were glad that the February retail sales figures weren't worse, which improved confidence.

Around 9:40 a.m., the Nifty was up 185.55 points, or 0.82 percent, at 22,694.30, while the Sensex was up 573.01 points, or 0.77 percent, at 74,742.96. Approximately 646 shares fell, 124 shares remained steady, and 2328 shares increased.

According to experts, the market will likely stay steady with a positive bias in the near future, helped by better macroeconomic indicators and a slowdown in the exodus of foreign investors. The market has a solid base thanks to India's recent outperformance of the US, the recovery in GDP growth to 6.2 percent in the third quarter of FY25, the increase in industrial production to 5% in January, and the decline in retail inflation to 3.61 percent in February.