Mumbai, May 15 -- Domestic equity benchmarks closed with strong gains on Thursday, rising for the second consecutive session, with the Nifty comfortably ending above the 25,050 mark. Volatility was elevated due to the weekly expiry of the Nifty F&O series, but optimism prevailed as all sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the green, led by auto, realty, and metal stocks.

Investor sentiment was lifted by reports of a potential zero-tariff trade deal between India and the U.S. According to the media reports, President Donald Trump on Thursday said that India had proposed eliminating all import duties on American goods, aiming to secure a deal within a 90-day window following his April 9 announcement suspending tariff hikes on key trade par...