Indian stocks rally for seventh session; Sensex jumps 1,718 points, Nifty reclaims 25,000

Indian stock markets rallied for a seventh consecutive session on Friday, with the Sensex jumping 1,718 points and the Nifty reclaiming the 25,000 level, defying a global market rout. The Sensex rose 2.17 per cent to close at 81,028.02, while the Nifty gained 2.01 per cent to end at 25,030.35. Sustained foreign fund inflows and easing crude oil prices boosted investor optimism, with Brent crude declining 1.50 per cent to $96.82 per barrel. Mahindra & Mahindra led gains, climbing 6.15 per cent after reporting a 25 per cent rise in quarterly profit. The rally came as US markets tumbled, with the Nasdaq posting its biggest daily drop in 19 months on fears of AI regulations following Democratic election wins.