The S&P BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty 50 Indexes ended today's volatile session marginally higher led by gains in HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC Bank and Tata Steel. The benchmarks witnessed heightened volatility and the Sensex dropped as much as 555 points from intraday high of 39,435.80 and the NSE Nifty 50 Index fell below important level of 11,950.

India's monsoon has progressed more slowly than usual after hitting the southern state of Kerala nearly a week late. Monsoon rains have been 44% lower-than-average so far in June, delaying the sowing of summer-sown crops and raising concerns that parts of the country could face a worsening drought. This shortfall could have a major impact on consumer demand, the overall economy and financial markets.

Country's third largest carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, on Wednesday announced a price increase of up to Rs 36,000 across its models, effective from 1 July 2019. This price increase is due to the implementation of AIS 145 Safety Norms across all passenger vehicles in India, the company said. The new emission laws come into effect from April 1, 2020.