At 11.15 am on Monday, the core equity indices i.e., Sensex and Nifty 50 were trading in the green on the back of the latest merger between HDFC Ltd and HDFC Bank. 

Global markets are observing progress in Russia-Ukraine negotiations and are expecting a gradual return to normalcy. Despite mixed global cues, the Indian indices opened on a positive note with Nifty trading above the 18,000 mark since January 19, 2022. Catching the attention was the merger announced by HDFC and HDFC Bank, which will be one of the biggest mergers in the corporate world.

On Monday, the benchmark indices ended in green for the fifth consecutive session on pulled up by IT, auto and banking names. The equity markets are expected to remain volatile this week due to US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision and the expectations on domestic inflation data. Additionally, Russia and Ukraine tensions still continue. 

On Thursday, the domestic benchmark indices ended higher for a third straight day as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on the verge to win four of the five key state elections. A rally was seen across the markets with FMCG, public sector banks, and realty sectors shining on the front. 

Throughout Wednesday's trading session, domestic equities traded in the red as the conflict between Russia-Ukraine continued. Also, rising Brent crude prices coupled with weak global cues lowered the market sentiment. Sensex lost over 1,200 points intra-day but recovered some of the losses towards the end of the session.

At noon on Thursday, the core equity indices i.e., Sensex and Nifty 50 were seen trading on the greener side. The Sensex was at 58,866.17, up by 400.20 points or 0.68 per cent, while Nifty was at 17,586.10 up by 122.30 points or 0.70 per cent from the last trading session.