Indian stock markets opened positively on Wednesday, with the Sensex gaining 359 points to reach 77,246 and the Nifty 50 rising over 101 points to start at 24,097. This increase is attributed to renewed hopes for de-escalation in the Iran-US conflict, following Iran's proposal to cease military operations in the Strait of Hormuz. The India VIX, which indicates market volatility, fell by about 2% to 18.05. Eternal shares were the top gainers, rising more than 4% after reporting strong earnings for the fourth quarter of FY26. Other notable gainers included Maruti Suzuki, Adani Ports, Bharat Electronics, Infosys, and Reliance Industries, with increases of up to 3%. However, some stocks like Asian Paints and ICICI Bank experienced slight losses. Broader market indices also performed well, with the Nifty Smallcap 100 and Nifty Midcap 100 indices rising by 0.7% and 0.6%, respectively. Despite the positive sentiment, V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, advised caution due to high crude oil prices, which remain a significant risk for India's economic growth and inflation. The market is also closely monitoring political developments following state elections and the Federal Reserve's upcoming decisions regarding interest rates.