Investors Pile Into Defence Stocks With All Guns Blazing

Defence index logs record weekly gain

- SAMIE MODAK & KRISHNA KANT

The Nifty India Defence Index jumped 5.6 per cent on Friday to cap a record 17.2 per cent weekly gain — its biggest since the gauge was launched in 2022. The index closed at a fresh peak of 8,309.2.

This rally follows media reports suggesting an additional ₹50,000 crore could be earmarked for defence under a supplementary budget this financial year. "The boost will take overall defence allocation past ₹7 trillion for 2025-26," noted Siddhartha Khemka, head of research, wealth management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

In the Union Budget presented in February, total defence outlay for FY26 was raised 7.7 per cent to 4.91 trillion from 4.57 trillion in the FY25 revised estimate.

The figure includes both revenue expenditure such as salaries & wages and operational costs - and capital allocation, which covers procurement of new equipment and other capital expenditure.