Asian stock markets are trading higher today. Shanghai Composite is up 1.2%, while Nikkei 225 is trading up by 2.6%. US stocks surged on Wednesday as hopes for an effective COVID-19 treatment prompted a broad rally and helped investors shrug off bleak GDP data and words of warning from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Back home, India share markets rallied in the opening session. The BSE Sensex is trading up by 720 points while the NSE Nifty is trading up by 197 points. The BSE Mid Cap index and BSE Small Cap index opened up by 1.1% and 1.4% respectively.
All sectoral indices are trading in green with metal stocks, banking, automobiles and IT stocks witnessing maximum buying interest.
Note that the coronavirus impact has shaken markets worldwide. For the BSE Sensex, FY20 was the second worst year post FY08, the year of the global financial crisis.
Naturally, there is an atmosphere of fear all round.
Is it time to sell stocks now? Will the correction get worse?
History has shown that after years like the one we had just now, the next 3 years are good for the markets. In fact, these corrections are the rare times when you find businesses with solid fundamentals at reasonable valuations.
If you can find good businesses that can survive the current crisis, you will do well in the long run.
Moving on, gold prices are currently trading down 1.1% at Rs 45,546.
The rupee is currently trading at 75.27 against the US$.
The Indian rupee surged 52 paise to close at 75.66 against the US dollar on Wednesday, tracking positive domestic equities and a weak American currency in the overseas market.
This is the third consecutive day of gain for the rupee, during which it has appreciated by 80 paise.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 75.94. During the session it touched an intra-day high of 75.60 and a low of 75.96.
The domestic unit finally settled at 75.66, registering a rise of 52 paise over its previous close.
Reportedly, positive start of domestic stocks supported the local unit. Besides, market sentiments improved as more countries are announcing gradual lifting of lockdowns that have been imposed to contain coronavirus infection.
In a recent article titled The Sharp Fall in Indian Rupee: 6 Points to Know, we dive deeper and look at the factors behind rupee's depreciation.
We also reached out to Vijay Bhambwani, editor of Weekly Cash Alerts, who is closely tracking the Indian rupee in the current scenario. Here's what he has to say...
Vijay has also talked about the Indian currency in a special edition podcast from Investor Hour. He shares what's around the corner for Indian rupee and how should position oneself for potential gains.
You can listen the entire episode here...
Moving on to the news from pharma sector. Lupin on Wednesday announced that it received tentative approval for its Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution from the US drug regulator.
The drug was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market a generic version of Brovana Inhalation Solution, 15 mcg/2 mL of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Sunovion).
The solution is indicated for the long-term maintenance treatment of bronchoconstriction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
The drug had an annual sales of approximately US$489 million in the US.
Lupin share price opened the day up by 1.7%.
To know what's moving the Indian stock markets today, check out the most recent share market updates here.
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