On August 18, 2025, the Indian stock market closed strongly with the BSE Sensex rising 676 points and the NSE Nifty crossing 24,800, driven by optimism over upcoming GST reforms announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and an upgrade in India's sovereign credit rating by S&P Global. Key gainers included Maruti Suzuki, which surged nearly 9%, along with Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Auto. Sectoral indices such as Nifty Auto and Consumer Durables saw significant gains, reflecting investor confidence in the government's plan to rationalize GST rates by Diwali 2025. Despite some laggards like Infosys and Dr. Reddy's Labs, the overall market sentiment remained positive, supported by expectations of economic growth and reforms in indirect taxation. (Updated 18 Aug 2025, 15:36 IST; source: link)