| The headline equity benchmarks traded minor gains in early trade. The Nifty traded above the 24,450 mark. Barring the Pharma index, all the other sectoral indices on the NSE were traded in green.
At 09:27 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 126.71 points or 0.15% to 80,972.46. The Nifty 50 index added 39.55 points or 0.16% to 24,496.70.
The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.33% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rallied 0.36%.
The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,109 shares rose and 808 shares fell. A total of 103 shares were unchanged.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 3,664.67 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net sellers to the tune of Rs 250.99 crore in the Indian equity market on 3 December 2024, provisional data showed.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Wipro rose 0.31%. The company announced partnership with Netskope, a secure access service edge (SASE) leader, to provide cybersecurity optimization advisory services to global enterprises.
Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) added 0.97%. The company has invested Rs 10,000 crore in its subsidiary, ONGC Petro Additions (OpaL) via right issue.
Aditya Birla Capital shed 0.33%. The company invested Rs 300 crore in its subsidiary, Aditya Birla Housing Finance (ABHF), on a right basis.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper was up 1.70% to 6.824 as compared with previous close 6.710.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged higher against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 84.6775, compared with its close of 84.6825 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 5 February 2024 settlement was flat to Rs 75,966.
The US Dollar index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was up 0.07% to 106.49.
The United States 10-year bond yield rose 0.12% to 4.228.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for January 2024 settlement gained 06 cents or 0.08% to $73.68 a barrel.
Global Markets:
The Dow Jones index futures were up 107 points, signaling a positive opening for U.S. stocks today.
Asian stocks were mixed on Wednesday following South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprising decision to impose martial law, a move that he reversed just hours later, unsettling global markets.
The benchmark Kospi Index dropped as much as 2% in early Wednesday trading, reflecting the sharp decline in South Korea-related assets during overnight sessions.
Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt to impose martial law on Wednesday was short-lived and met with significant resistance. Lawmakers defied security forces and voted against the declaration, while thousands of protesters took to the streets, expressing opposition to the unprecedented move.
In the US, indices reached record highs on Tuesday, driven by gains in major technology stocks, though the pace of the rally appeared to be slowing due to growing uncertainty about the economic outlook. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1% to close at 6,049.88, while the NASDAQ Composite rose 0.4% to finish at 19,478.89. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.2% to 44,705.53.
Technology stocks continued to benefit from optimism surrounding artificial intelligence, a sector expected to maintain robust momentum in the months ahead. Additionally, the prospect of lower interest rates provided further support for the tech-heavy market.
Meanwhile, investors are eyeing this week’s critical jobs data and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s upcoming remarks for potential signals on whether the Fed will consider cutting rates in December.
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