After starting the week with consolidation, the domestic market exhibited resilience amid concerns over tariff wars and geopolitical escalations, analysts said on Saturday.

Markets consolidated for the third consecutive week but managed to end higher by nearly a per cent, buoyed by favourable domestic cues.

After remaining range-bound for most of the week, benchmark indices surged sharply on Friday and settled near the week’s high, with the Nifty closing at 25,003 and the Sensex at 82,118.99.

“The highlight of the week was the RBI’s policy announcement, which took the market by surprise. The central bank implemented a sharper-than-expected 50 bps repo rate cut and a 100 bps CRR reduction, signalling a strong pro-growth stance. Notably, the policy stance was also shifted from ‘accommodative’ to ‘neutral’ — a move that came sooner than expected,” said Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd.

In a significant feat under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary government, India has made key strides in the last decade in reducing its extreme poverty rate, which fell to 5.3 per cent in 2022–23 from 27.1 per cent in 2011–12, latest World Bank data has revealed.

About 75.24 million people were living in extreme poverty in India during 2022–23, a massive drop from 344.47 million in 2011–12.

According to the World Bank data, this means 269 million individuals were lifted out of extreme poverty over approximately 11 years.

Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, which collectively accounted for 65 per cent of India’s extreme poor in 2011–12, contributed to two-thirds of the overall decline in extreme poverty by 2022–23.

The Bank of India (BOI) on Friday reduced its repo-based lending rate (RBLR) by 50 basis points, bringing it down from 8.85 per cent to 8.35 per cent.

This move follows the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) decision to cut the repo rate by 50 basis points, lowering it from 6 per cent to 5.5 per cent.

The central bank’s decision is aimed at boosting economic activity by making loans cheaper for businesses and individuals.

The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), led by Governor Sanjay Malhotra, announced this rate cut during its latest policy meeting.

Leading industry chambers on Friday lauded the RBI’s rate cut decision, describing the continuation in the accommodative policy stance as a catalyst for boosting capex and demand across different sectors of the economy.

Assocham expressed delight at the 50-basis-point reduction in the policy interest rates.

"The MPC's repo rate cut of 50 basis points and cash reserve ratio cut of 100 bps is expected to reduce lending rates, spur growth in the economy and encourage borrowing from industry for capex," said Assocham President Sanjay Nayar.

India's foreign exchange reserves stood at $691.5 billion, as of May 30, and are sufficient to fund more than 11 months of goods imports and about 96 per cent of external debt outstanding, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Friday.

For the week ended May 30, the reserves dropped by $1.2 billion to break an 8-week rising trend. India’s foreign exchange reserves had recorded a robust increase of $6.99 billion to $692.72 billion in the preceding week ended May 23.

Changes in foreign currency assets, expressed in dollar terms, include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of other currencies held in the reserves.

External commercial borrowings (ECBs) and non-resident deposits have seen higher net inflows compared to the previous year.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor said: "Overall, India’s external sector remains resilient as key external sector vulnerability indicators continue to improve. We remain confident of meeting our external financing requirements."

The domestic benchmark indices surged on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.50 per cent and cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 100 basis points (in four tranches).

Sensex gained 746.95 points or 0.92 per cent at 82,188.99 and the Nifty rose 252.15 points or 1.02 percent to close at 25,003.05.

The rise was led by banking stocks. Nifty Bank closed at 56,578.40, up 817.55 points or 1.47 per cent. During the day, Bank Nifty touched the level of 56,695, which is the highest level of the main banking index so far.

Along with largecaps, midcaps and smallcaps also witnessed a rise. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was up 707.30 points, or 1.21 per cent, at 59,010.30, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index was up 149.85 points, or 0.81 per cent, at 18,582.45.

The jumbo 50 bps rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will directly benefit home loan borrowers, especially existing ones, by reducing their interest burden, experts said on Friday.

The decision comes at a pivotal time, as India, now the world’s fourth-largest economy, is witnessing strong real estate momentum across metros as well as tier 2 and 3 cities.

“Lower lending rates will directly enhance home loan affordability, particularly in interest-sensitive categories like mid-income and affordable housing. Reduced EMIs are expected to significantly improve buyer sentiment and encourage first-time homebuyers to enter the market,” said Shekhar G Patel, President, the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI).

The RBI has projected India’s GDP growth at 6.5 per cent for 2025-26, with domestic economic activity showing resilience on the back of a strong agriculture sector, industry picking up, and the services sector expected to maintain momentum.

The quarterly growth rates projected for the financial year are: Q1 at 6.5, Q2 at 6.7, Q3 at 6.6 and Q4 at 6.3 per cent.

“The provisional estimates released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) placed India’s real GDP growth in 2024-25 at 6.5 per cent. During 2025-26 so far, domestic economic activity has exhibited resilience. The agriculture sector remains strong. With a very good harvest in both the kharif as well as rabi cropping seasons, the supply of major food crops is comfortable. The reservoir levels remain healthy. The highest procurement of wheat in the last four years provides a comforting stock position,” RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Friday.

The Indian benchmark indices surged on Friday after the RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced a jumbo 50 bps rate cut — from 6 per cent to 5.5 per cent — and a 100 basis point cut in the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), from 4 per cent to 3 per cent.

The immediate effect of the decision was seen on the Indian stock market. At around 10.46 am, Sensex was trading 505.7 points or 0.62 per cent up at 81,947.74 while the Nifty added 168.40 point or 0.68 per cent at 24,919.30.

Nifty Bank was up 682.95 points or 1.22 per cent at 56,443.80 . The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 58,666.20 after rising 363.20 points or 0.62 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 18,480.85 after climbing 48.25points or 0.26 per cent.

In the Sensex pack, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank were the top gainers. Sun Pharma, Infosys, Nestle India and HCL Tech were the top losers.

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday announced a jumbo 50 basis points cut in the repo rate from 6 per cent to 5.5 per cent to spur growth in the economy, as inflation has come down below the lower RBI band of 4 per cent.

A lower policy rate leads to a decline in interest rate on bank loans which makes borrowing easier for consumers as well as businesses resulting in higher consumption and investments in the economy leading to higher growth.

However, the effectiveness of this rate cut will largely hinge on how quickly and efficiently commercial banks pass on the benefits to borrowers.

The RBI Governor said the repo rate has now been reduced 100 basis points in quick succession since February this year and hence, the monetary policy stance has been changed from accommodative to neutral.