Buy or sell stocks, April 18 -- Following positive global cues on de-escalation in the US-Iran war, the key benchmark indices of the Indian stock market ended higher for the fifth straight session. The Nifty 50 index gained 156 points and closed at 24,353. The BSE Sensex ended 504 points higher at 78,493. The Bank Nifty index ended 479 points higher at 56,565.

Sectorally, the trend remained largely positive, with most sectors ending in the green-led by FMCG, energy, and metals-while IT and pharma remained relatively muted. Broader markets continued to outperform, with mid-cap and small-cap indices advancing around 1.5% each, indicating sustained risk appetite.

Sumeet Bagadia, Executive Director at Choice Broking, believes the Indian sto...