Defence-related stocks, including those of drone manufacturers, makers of missiles and allied equipment, continued to remain in high demand, with Mishra Dhatu Nigam surging over 15 per cent on Wednesday.

Shares of Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd zoomed 15.12 per cent, Axiscades Technologies jumped 5 per cent, defence engineering company Paras Defence surged 4 per cent, Hindustan Aeronautics rallied 3.47 per cent, Data Patterns climbed 2.93 per cent, Bharat Electronics went up by 2.56 per cent, Astra Microwave Products (2.26 per cent) and Bharat Dynamics (1.16 per cent) on the BSE.

Stocks of drone manufacturers Droneacharya Aerial Innovations climbed 2 per cent and Ideaforge Technology went up by 0.86 per cent.

In the equity market, the 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex climbed 182.34 points or 0.22 per cent to settle at 81,330.56. The NSE Nifty rose 88.55 points or 0.36 per cent to 24,666.90.

Defence stocks ended higher on Tuesday, Monday and Friday as well.

Shares of defence-related firms are in focus after days of intense conflict between India and Pakistan following Indian strikes on terror sites in the neighbouring country on May 7 under Operation Sindoor.

MSCI index

FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd, which owns fashion and beauty retailer Nykaa, and fertilizers company Coromandel International will be added to the MSCI India Index, as per a latest review by global index compiler MSCI.

The changes in the constituents for the MSCI Global Standard Indexes will take place from May 30, 2025, according to an announcement by MSCI.

MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community.