Sensex, Nifty Edge Higher As Sentiment Improves On Global Relief And US-India Trade Hopes

Indian equity markets began Friday’s session on a muted note but soon gained traction, buoyed by encouraging cues from global peers.

Improved sentiment stemmed from easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and fresh hopes of a potential trade agreement between India and the United States, which helped bolster investor confidence.

In early trade, the Sensex climbed 148 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 82,320, while the Nifty advanced 40 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 25,221.

“Though yesterday’s push higher in the second half failed to clear the week’s high, it did serve to invalidate the bearish bias of the evening star candlestick pattern,” market experts observed.

“This encourages us to look for 25,460 in the days ahead. For the day, inability to push and float above 25,215 or direct fall past 25,113, could render the trend sideways, but may not call for a break of 24,982 right away,” they further added.

The broader market also showed strength, with the Nifty Midcap 100 gaining 0.18 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 100 rising 0.28 per cent, signalling active participation from mid- and small-cap segments.

Sectoral Performance Mixed

Among sectoral indices, Nifty Metal was the day’s weakest performer, slipping 1.4 per cent.

Auto, Pharma, and Healthcare counters also witnessed mild losses.

Conversely, Banking, Energy, FMCG, IT, Consumer Durables, Oil & Gas, and Realty stocks traded in positive territory.

Within the Sensex constituents, Power Grid, State Bank of India, NTPC, Adani Ports, and Asian Paints led the gainers’ list, while Tata Steel, TCS, Bajaj Finance, M&M, and HCL Tech traded lower.

“The overall market environment is turning positive. Globally, the GAZA peace accord signals the end to the conflict and reduction of geopolitical risk from the region,” analysts noted.

They further added, “Domestically, there are indications of a trade deal between the US and India with India ‘rebalancing’ its oil purchases.”

Experts added that these favourable global and domestic signals, coupled with renewed foreign investor buying, with FIIs turning net purchasers in the cash segment for three consecutive sessions, are supportive of a sustained uptrend.

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