Indian shares closed higher on Tuesday, tracking broader Asian markets, but recorded their worst monthly and yearly performance in over a decade as the country grappled with disruption caused by the fast-spreading coronavirus.
The broader Nifty ended 3.82% higher at 8,597.75 and the benchmark Sensex closed up 3.62% at 29,468.49.
However, both the indexes posted their worst monthly fall since October 2008 and their worst annual fall since 2009 due to the coronavirus-led selloff and a sluggish domestic economy.
India reported its steepest single-day rise of 227 fresh coronavirus cases by Monday evening, taking the total number of infected people to 1,251.
The rising cases come amid a 21-day lockdown that began last week, and which the government said it had no plans to extend.
The country's benchmark 10-year bond yield was at 6.08%, compared with its previous close of 6.21%, while the rupee strengthened 0.15% against the dollar by 10:11 GMT on Tuesday.
In the equities market, metal stocks gained the most among sectors, with the Nifty metals index closing up 5.19%. The Nifty pharma index gained 4.07%.
Oil refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd rose 15.3% and was the top gainer among the blue-chip stocks, while IndusInd Bank shed 15% and was the top laggard.
