Indian benchmark equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, saw marginal gains in early trading, navigating a cautious global environment marked by elevated crude oil prices and significant declines in US markets.
Sensex and Nifty50 Performance: Key Market Highlights Today
- Indian benchmark equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, opened positively but turned volatile before trading marginally higher.
- Global markets exhibited caution, with major US indices falling and Brent crude remaining elevated near $93 a barrel due to US-Iran tensions.
- Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 583.36 crore on Thursday, indicating continued selling pressure.
- President Donald Trump's comments on an 'economic war' against Iran have revived concerns over oil-driven inflation and prolonged geopolitical uncertainty.
- On Thursday, both Sensex and Nifty had bounced back after several days of decline, showing some resilience in the Indian market.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty were trading marginally higher in early deals on Friday as elevated crude oil prices due to geopolitical uncertainties and a sharp fall in US markets made investors cautious.
After a positive beginning to the trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex turned flat and was down 25.97 points to 77,506.51 in early deals.
The 50-share NSE Nifty also skidded 5.75 points to 24,223.10 after a positive start.
However, both the benchmark indices bounced back and were trading marginally higher.
The BSE benchmark quoted 62.60 points higher at 77,595.14, and the Nifty was up 10.65 points to 24,244.80.
Winners and Losers on Dalal Street
Among the 30 Sensex firms, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bharat Electronics, HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, Tata Steel and ICICI Bank were among the biggest winners.
InterGlobe Aviation, Titan, Hindustan Unilever and Trent were among the laggards.
Global Cues and Geopolitical Impact
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 583.36 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, traded 0.30 per cent lower at $93.50 per barrel.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index quoted higher, while Japan's Nikkei 225 traded lower.
US markets ended in negative territory on Thursday.
What Experts Say
"Global cues have turned cautious, with the Dow falling 1.32 per cent, the S&P 500 declining 0.87 per cent and the Nasdaq losing 1 per cent.
"Brent crude remains elevated near $93 a barrel amid renewed US-Iran tensions," Rajesh Palviya, Head of Research at Axis Securities, said.
"The Treasury-driven relief that supported markets on Thursday proved short-lived, with US equities falling sharply overnight as bond yields reversed their earlier decline. President Donald Trump's comments on an 'economic war' against Iran have also revived concerns over oil-driven inflation and prolonged geopolitical uncertainty," Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth-tech firm, said.
