Indian equity markets are set for a mildly positive start on Thursday, following a volatile session in which benchmark indices surrendered most of their strong intra-day gains amid profit-taking.
The BSE Sensex rang the opening bell above 82,500, soaring close to 250 points, while the NSE Nifty50 inched closer to 25,550, rising 60 points, around 9:15 AM.
On the 30-share Sensex, Tech M, Eternal, Infosys, TCS, and HCL Tech opened among the gainers. Meanwhile, the laggards in the opening hour included Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, UltraTech Cement, Tata Steel, and PowerGrid.
In the broader markets, the Nifty Midcap Select jumped 0.39 per cent. Sectorally, the IT and Midsmall IT & Telecom indices surged 1.51 per cent and 1.10 per cent respectively. On the other hand, the Private Bank took a hit of 0.22 per cent.
Notably, in the pre-open hour near 9:07 AM, the Sensex traded above 82,400, and the Nifty crosed 25,550, indicating a modest gap-up opening.
Strong Institutional Flows Offer Support
Market sentiment received a boost from robust institutional participation in the previous session. According to exchange data, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 2,991.64 crore on Wednesday. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) also remained net buyers, picking up shares worth Rs 5,118.57 crore.
“Strong buying by both FPIs (Rs 2,991 crore) and DIIs (Rs 5,118 crore) in the previous session is likely to provide added comfort to investors. Domestic fundamentals remain stable, and ongoing sectoral rotation is helping the indices absorb periodic profit-booking at higher levels,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm.
Global Cues Mixed Across Asia
Overseas markets provided additional support. US equities had ended higher on Wednesday, lifting investor confidence.
In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei 225 were trading in positive territory, while China’s Shanghai SSE Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were quoting lower.
Meanwhile, Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, edged up 0.25 per cent to USD 71.03 per barrel.
Benchmarks Trim Gains After Sharp Intra-Day Rally
On Wednesday, the BSE benchmark ended just 50.15 points, or 0.06 per cent, higher at 82,276.07, after a highly volatile trading session. During the day, the index had surged 731.99 points, or 0.89 per cent, to touch an intra-day high of 82,957.91 before giving up most of the gains.
The NSE Nifty closed 57.85 points, or 0.23 per cent, higher at 25,482.50, reflecting a similar pattern of early strength followed by profit-booking at higher levels.
Market participants said the cautious close pointed to reluctance among investors to build aggressive positions in the absence of strong domestic triggers.
Indian markets had opened with a gap-up on Wednesday, supported by upbeat global cues and a rebound in US technology stocks as AI-related uncertainty eased. Additionally, dovish signals from the Bank of Japan helped keep regional sentiment firm. However, the initial momentum faded as renewed tariff-related comments from the US President revived global trade concerns. Depreciation in the Indian rupee also weighed on sentiment, limiting further upside, according to Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited.