| The key equity indices opened with decent gains in early trade as the Nifty traded near the 26,200 level. Market sentiment is expected to remain range-bound mid the absence of strong global economic triggers and lingering uncertainty over the India –US trade deal. Further, auto stocks will be in focus as companies announce their monthly sales numbers.
Auto, metal and PSU bank shares advanced while FMCG, pharma shares declined.
At 09:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex advanced 161 points or 0.17% to 85,324.57. The Nifty 50 index added 51.65 points or 0.20% to 26,198.20.
In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index jumped 0.23% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.18%.
The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1,819 shares rose and 1,076 shares fell. A total of 156 shares were unchanged.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 3,268.60 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1,525.89 crore in the Indian equity market on 01 January 2026, provisional data showed.
Stocks in Spotlight:
RailTel Corporation of India rose 0.89%. The company has received a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) from the Assam Health Infrastructure Development & Management Society (AHIDMS) for procurement, implementation, and maintenance of a Hospital Management Information System (HMIS). The estimated order value is Rs 56.71 crore.
Aurobindo Pharma announced added 0.44%. The company that its subsidiary, Auro Pharma, has approved the acquisition of the non-oncology prescription formulations business of Khandelwal Laboratories on a going-concern basis through a Business Transfer Agreement for Rs 325 crore.
Time Technoplast added 2.66% after the company has received approvals from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and TÜV Rheinland (India) for the manufacture and supply of high-pressure Type-3 fully wrapped fiber-reinforced composite cylinders of 2-liter capacity for compressed gas applications.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper shed 0.03% to 6.579 as compared with the previous close of 6.581.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged higher against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 89.9725 compared with its close of 89.9850 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for 5 February 2026 settlement rose 0.66% to Rs 136.704.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.16% to 98.17.
The United States 10-year bond yield rose 0.70% to 4.179.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for February 2025 settlement advanced 25 cents or 0.41% to $61.10 a barrel.
Global Markets:
South Korea’s Kospi hit a new record Friday as the Asia markets kicked off the new year on a positive trading note.
Some Asian markets were still closed for the holidays, including Japan and mainland China.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s economy expanded 5.7% year-on-year for the fourth quarter, driven mainly by strong manufacturing growth in the three months through December. The latest reading is faster than the revised 4.3% growth in the previous quarter.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in his New Year message that the country had clocked a stronger-than-expected 4.8% expansion for the full year of 2025.
U.S. stock futures were looking up in early Asian hours, with S&P futures up by 0.15% and Nasdaq-100 futures climbing 0.12%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.16% higher.
On Wednesday stateside, the S&P 500 dipped 0.74%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.76% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.63%. |