Sensex ends 42 points higher at 49,201; Nifty rises 46 points to 14,684

At the stock markets, after a solid opening, the S&P BSE Sensex wiped out nearly all its gains, to end 42.07 points or 0.09 per cent higher at 49,201.39. The Nifty 50 rose 45.70 points or 0.31 per cent to 14,684. The Nifty Bank index plunged 177.50 points or 0.54 per cent to close at 32,501.35.

In the broader market, the BSE Mid-cap index advanced 1 per cent and the Small-cap index climbed 0.8 per cent.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1680 shares rose and 1203 shares fell. On the Nifty 50 index, 31 shares advanced and 18 shares declined, while one remained unchanged. The top five gainers on Nifty were Adani Ports (up 14.50 per cent), Tata Consumer Products (up 4.66 per cent), Asian Paints (up 3.96 per cent), JSW Steel (up 3.77 per cent) and SBI Life (up 3.26 per cent). The top five losers were Power Grid (down 2.03 per cent), Grasim (down 1.34 per cent), Eicher Motors (down 1.08 per cent), Axis Bank (down 0.91 per cent) and UltraTech Cement (down 0.82 per cent).

COVID-19 Update

Total Covid-19 confirmed cases worldwide were at 13,18,28,728 with 28,61,100 deaths. India reported 7,88,223 active cases of Covid-19 infection and 1,65,547 deaths while 1,17,32,279 patients have been discharged, data showed.

RBI MPC Meet

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das-led rate-setting panel Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) started its three-day deliberation on the next monetary policy on Monday. The RBI will announce the resolution of the MPC on Wednesday.

China's Services Sector activity

China's services sector activity grew in March, according to a private-sector survey released Tuesday. The Caixin/Markit services Purchasing Managers' Index for March came in at 54.3 compared to February's reading of 51.5.

Push for global minimum corporate tax in the US

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Monday pushed for a global minimum corporate tax to keep companies from relocating to find lower rates. A measure of US services industry activity soared to a record high in March.

The Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing activity index jumped to a reading of 63.7 last month.