Markets Open Flat As Global Cues Remain Mixed; Auto, IT Stocks Under Pressure

Indian stock markets began Thursday’s trading session on a muted note, tracking mixed signals from global markets. Early trade saw weakness in auto and IT stocks, weighing on benchmark indices.

By 9:29 AM, the BSE Sensex was marginally lower by 40.96 points or 0.05%, standing at 83,495.12.

The NSE Nifty also slipped 17.70 points or 0.07% to trade at 25,458.40.

Meanwhile, the Nifty Bank index inched up 29.50 points or 0.05% to 57,243.05.

Broader markets saw moderate gains. The Nifty Midcap 100 rose by 108.40 points (0.18%) to 59,448. The Nifty Smallcap 100 gained 50.35 points (0.26%) to reach 19,057.75.

Analysts note that markets are awaiting the earnings season for clear direction.

“The big banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo, start reporting next Tuesday. As of now, analysts expect 5.8 per cent earnings growth for the S&P 500 in the second quarter,” said Vikram Kasat, Head-Advisory at PL Capital.

He added that expectations from the IT sector are subdued, though mid-tier IT firms may report healthy results and positive outlooks.

In the banking space, experts believe lenders with robust credit growth could stand out, despite the broader sector facing sluggish loan demand.

They view M&M and Eicher Motors as likely outperformers among auto stocks.

On the Sensex, early gainers included Tata Steel, Axis Bank, Power Grid, Bajaj Finance, M&M, ICICI Bank, and Titan.

On the downside, Tata Motors, Infosys, Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel, TCS, Asian Paints, NTPC, and HDFC Bank led the losses.

Institutional flows remained supportive. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net buyers to the tune of ₹77 crore on 9 July. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) invested ₹920 crore.

Across Asia, markets traded mostly positive with Hong Kong, Seoul, China, and Jakarta in the green, while Japan bucked the trend to trade in the red.

Overnight, US markets closed higher.

The Dow Jones added 217.54 points (0.49%) to end at 44,458.30, the S&P 500 gained 37.74 points (0.61%) to close at 6,263.26, and the Nasdaq climbed 192.87 points (0.94%) to finish at 20,611.34.

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