India’s stocks heads for first monthly gain this year since 2009

Bloomberg

India stocks rose, heading for their first monthly gain this year, with the world’s biggest lockdown scheduled to end on Sunday. Equities across Asia gained on Thursday amid signs of progress in treating the coronavirus.
The S&P BSE Sensex climbed 2.8% to 33,605.99, while the NSE Nifty 50 Index added 2.7%. Both gauges have rebounded by more than 20% from March lows, and each is set for their best monthly performance since 2009. Markets are shut on Friday for a holiday.
Reliance Industries Ltd., the nation’s biggest company by market value, and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. are due to report quarterly earnings, while Reliance will also announce plans on its rights’ offer as the energy-to-technology conglomerate steps up efforts to pare debt. Seven of the Nifty 50 companies have posted earnings so far for the January to March period.
“The sentiment is positive now as the government has been talking about a stimulus focusing on mid and small-sized companies.” said Abhimanyu Sofat, head of research at IIFL Securities Ltd. in Mumbai. “If you do find there is significant improvement in people’s ability to go back to offices it will be a big positive because the curve of coronavirus cases isn’t going up.”
India’s home ministry on Thursday allowed migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and others stranded at different places in the country because of the coronavirus lockdown, to go home. The nation has reported 33,062 Covid-19 infections, including 1,079 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
All 19 sub-indexes compiled by BSE Ltd. climbed, let by a gauge of automobile makers. HDFC Bank Ltd. contributed the most to the Sensex advance, increasing 3.1%, while Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. had the largest gain, rising 7%.