Indian shares closed higher for a second straight session on Tuesday, with lenders such as State Bank of India among leading gainers, as a surprise cut in the government's borrowing programme for the next fiscal year lifted sentiment. The broader NSE index closed 0.53 percent higher at 10,184.15, while the benchmark BSE index ended up 0.33 percent at 33,174.39.
The Nifty PSU bank index climbed 3 percent, with SBI closing 2.8 percent higher. India plans to borrow 2.88 trillion rupees ($44.46 billion) in the first half of the 2018/19 financial year that begins in April, the government said on Monday, adding it will borrow 500 billion rupees less for the full year 2018/19. Indian government bonds also rose, posting their sharpest intraday gain in more than four years, with the 10-year bond yield dropping to as much as 7.3565 percent from 7.62 percent.
Meanwhile, reports of talks between the United States and China to renegotiate tariffs and trade imbalances eased trade war concerns, boosting global equities. Asian shares rose, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rising 1 percent. "Good macros, improved sentiment as a result of India's borrowing plans, good amount of valuation adjustment due to correction in the market earlier have all translated into positivity in the markets," said Arihant Capital Markets Whole Time Director Anita Gandhi.
SBI rose as much as 2.2 percent while Axis Bank Ltd gained 3 percent. Metal stocks also rose, with Tata Steel Ltd up 3 percent and Steel Authority of India Ltd climbing 3.9 percent. Fortis Healthcare Ltd gained as much as 4.2 percent after Mint reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter, that the hospital chain operator and Manipal Health Enterprises were set to meet in a couple of days for approving a proposed merger of their hospital chains.
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