Sensex Finishes on Higher Note

India’s BSE Sensex closed about 0.5% up at 74,336.45 on Wednesday, recovering from a two-day slide, amid some relief from easing oil prices, despite elevated geopolitical uncertainty. Gains were led by banks and payment firms after the government announced the introduction of the first-ever Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on certain UPI transactions. State-owned SBI (2.2%), Axis Bank (1.9%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (1.3%), HDFC Bank (0.8%) and ICICI Bank (0.5%) all advanced. FMCG stocks and other heavyweight stocks also performed well.