Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded on Friday after a weak start, supported by renewed foreign fund inflows and optimism over potential US Federal Reserve rate cuts.
In early trade, the BSE Sensex slipped 261.58 points to 83,206.08, while the NSE Nifty declined 76.7 points to 25,508.60. However, both indices soon recovered, with the Sensex climbing 151.89 points to 83,625.05 and the Nifty rising 31.60 points to 25,617.30.
Among Sensex constituents, Asian Paints, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bharat Electronics, Bharti Airtel, and Titan were the top gainers. Eternal, however, dropped over 2% following its earnings release, while HCL Tech, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, and Power Grid were among the major laggards.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth ₹997.29 crore on Thursday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth ₹4,076.20 crore, according to exchange data.
“A turnaround in FII inflows, expectations of Fed rate cuts, the IMF’s upward revision of India’s FY26 GDP growth forecast to 6.6%, and weak crude prices around USD 57.35 a barrel have lifted market sentiment,” said Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd.
Across Asia, South Korea’s Kospi traded higher, while Japan’s Nikkei 225, Shanghai’s SSE Composite, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were in the red.
In the US, markets closed lower overnight. Meanwhile, Brent crude slipped 0.25% to USD 60.94 a barrel.
On Thursday, the Sensex had surged 862.23 points (1.04%) to close at 83,467.66, while the Nifty gained 261.75 points (1.03%) to settle at 25,585.30.
