Stock Market Update: The BSE Sensex and Nifty50, India’s benchmark equity indices, opened higher on Thursday. The BSE Sensex surpassed 81,700, while the Nifty50 rose above 25,050. At 10 am, the Sensex rose by 327.23 points, or 0.40 per cent, reaching 81,794.33, while the Nifty gained 90.10 points, or 0.36 per cent, to stand at 25,072.10. Regarding market activity, approximately 2,250 shares advanced, 778 declined, and 122 remained unchanged. 


The domestic stock market rallied following the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) decision to keep the repo rate unchanged while shifting its policy stance to 'neutral.'


Kotak Mahindra Bank, Power Grid, NTPC, L&T and HCL Technologies emerged as the top gainers on the BSE Sensex. Conversely, Airtel, Sun Pharma, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank and Infosys were the biggest losers.


V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services, said, “Investors can pay tribute to Ratan Tata and the great corporate empire he built by buying stocks like TCS, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consumer and Indian Hotels. Ratan Tata, while pursuing the group’s growth, contributed substantially to India’s growth and millions of ordinary investors gained from the great man’s vision.”


“Also, investors should learn from the growth of the Tata empire that a long-term investment horizon is required to really participate in the wealth creation that happens through the capital market. In a bull market like the present one, there will always be valuation concerns. But great companies like the ones Ratan Tata built will create wealth for investors in the long run,” he added.


Meanwhile, Asian equities climbed on Thursday, buoyed by the recent highs achieved by US stocks. Meanwhile, the US dollar hovered near a two-month peak against major currencies as market sentiment strengthened regarding the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on further monetary easing.


In early trading on Thursday, the rupee appreciated by 1 paisa to reach 83.95 against the US dollar, supported by a strong performance in domestic equity markets and a weaker greenback compared to major international currencies. However, rising global oil prices and substantial foreign fund outflows limited further gains for the domestic currency, as noted by forex experts.