Stock market today: Nifty50 ends above 24,650; BSE Sensex gains over 180 points

Stock market today: Stock market indices Nifty and Sensex finished higher in volatile trading on Wednesday, driven by selective buying amid falling inflation and positive global signals. The markets were supported by strong performance in metal and industrial sectors, along with continued foreign investment inflows.The NSE Nifty increased by 88.55 points or 0.36 per cent to 24,666.90. The BSE Sensex gained 182.34 points or 0.22 per cent, closing at 81,330.56, after fluctuating between 81,691.87 and 80,910.03. The BSE saw 2,857 stocks advance, 1,121 decline, and 147 remain unchanged."Markets were choppy in intra-day trade but managed to end in the green on selective buying support as investors don't want to rush into equities after Monday's strong optimism. While foreign fund flows in the domestic market will be critical going ahead, investors are worried that the US-China settling tariff disputes could revive foreign investors' interest in Chinese markets again," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.Tata Steel led the Sensex gains, rising 3.88 per cent, followed by strong performances from Eternal, Tech Mahindra, Maruti, and other technology and telecommunications companies. Bharti Airtel gained nearly 1 per cent after reporting a significant increase in quarterly profits.Asian Paints, Tata Motors, Kotak Mahindra Bank, NTPC, and Power Grid were among the declining stocks. Tata Motors dropped over 1 per cent following lower quarterly profits.The BSE smallcap and midcap indices showed substantial gains. Sector-wise, metal, industrials, realty, and IT demonstrated strong performance, while banking was the only sector to decline.Retail inflation decreased to 3.16 per cent in April, while wholesale price inflation fell to 0.85 per cent, creating potential for further rate cuts by the Reserve Bank.Asian markets showed mixed results, with positive performances in South Korea, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, while Japan's market declined. European markets traded lower, and US markets closed mostly higher on Tuesday.Brent crude oil decreased 1.13 per cent to USD 65.88 per barrel. Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 476.86 crore on Tuesday.The market outlook remains positive, supported by decreasing inflation, rising disposable incomes, government spending, and falling interest rates. The easing of global trade tensions has particularly benefited metal stocks.