Alright, so there’s been quite a bit of action in the markets lately. The NSE’s India VIX, which basically gives us an idea of how crazy things might get in the short term, went up by 0.34% to hit 19.06. And guess what? The benchmark equity indices managed to close a tad higher today.

Why, you ask? Well, investors were feeling a bit cautious because of Operation Sindoor. Yeah, that’s the name of the game – a focused strike by Indian forces on terrorist spots in Pakistan after the whole Pahalgam incident. Tensions between India and Pakistan were definitely adding some spice to the market sentiment.

But wait, there’s more. People were also keeping an eye on the US Federal Reserve meeting. Talk about a double whammy of drama. The Nifty managed to claw its way above the 24,400 mark after taking a dip to 24,220 earlier in the day. Phew, talk about a rollercoaster ride.

Now, let’s talk numbers. The S&P BSE Sensex decided to show off a bit by rising 105.71 points, a modest increase of 0.13%, to close at 80,746.78. And the Nifty 50 index wasn’t about to be left behind, gaining 34.80 points, or 0.14%, to finish at 24,414.40.

Ajit Mishra, the SVP of Research at Religare Broking, had some wise words to share. He said, “Nifty is trying its best to hold on to that 24,100 level. But if it slips, we might be looking at a downward spiral towards 23,800. Keep an eye on that 24,100–24,600 range for now. And hey, maybe play it safe until the market figures itself out.” Good advice, Ajit, good advice.

But hey, let’s not forget about the smaller guys. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index jumped by a whopping 1.36%, while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index wasn’t too far behind with a climb of 1.16%. Overall, the market seemed to be in a pretty positive mood.

Siddhartha Khemka, the Head of Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services, chimed in with his two cents. He mentioned, “We’re all looking forward to seeing how things pan out with the U.S.-India trade deal. It could give a nice little boost, especially for those export-driven sectors. Oh, and keep an eye on those geopolitical developments, corporate earnings reports, and macroeconomic data from the US. They might shake things up a bit.”

Oh, and did I mention that the NSE’s India VIX went up by 0.34% to hit 19.06? Well, now I did.

Sector-wise, the Nifty Auto index was the star of the show with a gain of 1.66%. The Nifty Consumer Durables index and the Nifty Realty index weren’t too far behind, clocking in gains of 1.18% and 1.12%, respectively. But hey, not everyone can be a winner, right? The Nifty FMCG index took a little tumble by 0.52%, while the Nifty Pharma index wasn’t feeling too hot either with a decline of 0.33%.

So yeah, that’s the scoop on what’s been happening in the markets lately. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like things are never boring around here. And hey, who knows what tomorrow will bring, right? Let’s just sit back, relax, and see how it all unfolds.