Mumbai: Indian stock markets, including the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), remained closed on Friday, May 1, 2026, to observe Maharashtra Day. Trading activities are scheduled to resume on Monday, May 4, 2026.
In the preceding trading session on Thursday, the Indian equity benchmarks closed lower. The BSE Sensex saw a decline of 582.86 points, settling at 76,913.50, while the NSE Nifty slipped by 180.10 points to close at 23,997.55. This marked a downturn for the broader markets as well, with the Nifty midcap and smallcap indices also experiencing losses.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the stock market presented a mixed picture on Thursday, April 30, 2026. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) experienced a significant rally, closing up 1.6% at 49,652.14, largely propelled by strong earnings from industrial bellwether Caterpillar, Inc. The S&P 500 also reached a new record high, gaining 1% to close at 7,209.01, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.9% to a record 24,892.31.
However, the tech sector showed some weakness, with Meta Platforms, Inc. and Microsoft Corporation experiencing declines following their earnings reports. Meta's shares fell 8.6% after reporting user growth below expectations, while Microsoft shed 3.9% on concerns about increased capital expenditure related to artificial intelligence. Alphabet Inc., on the other hand, surged nearly 10% to a record closing high after exceeding earnings expectations, driven by strong performance in its cloud division.
For the month of April, the S&P 500 recorded its best monthly performance since November 2020, advancing 10.4%. The Nasdaq saw its strongest monthly gain since April 2020, soaring 15.3%, while the DJIA posted its largest monthly increase since November 2024, up 7.1%.
Globally, oil prices showed volatility, with WTI crude futures trading above $105 per barrel, influenced by geopolitical tensions and supply disruption concerns. The US dollar also experienced a notable decline.