Stock Market Today: Bulls lift D-Street; Sensex jumps 250 pts, Nifty nears 25,700

Stock Market Today: Indian stock market benchmark indices opened higher on Friday, tracking mixed global cues and buying in select heavyweights.

The BSE Sensex rose 295.36 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 83,678.07 at 9:15 am, compared with its previous close of 83,382.71. The index opened at 83,670.79.

The Nifty 50 started the session at 25,696.05, gaining 30.45 points, or 0.12 per cent, from its previous close of 25,665.60. The benchmark opened flat at the same level.

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Top gainers and losers

Infosys jumped nearly 5 per cent and was among the top Sensex gainers. Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Adani Ports, and NTPC also traded higher.

On the downside, Eternal, Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel, Bharat Electronics, Asian Paints, Maruti Suzuki, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank were among the top losers.

Broader markets

In the broader markets, indices opened in green. The Nifty MidCap index advanced 0.64 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index rose 0.29 per cent. The Nifty 100 gained 0.12 per cent, the Nifty Midcap 100 added 0.13 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 was up 0.10 per cent in early trade.

Sectoral trends

Sectorally, trends were mixed. The Nifty IT index and the Nifty Capital Markets index climbed 2.5 per cent each. The Nifty Realty index rose 1.5 per cent, while the Nifty PSU Bank index gained 1.4 per cent. The Nifty Bank index added 0.6 per cent.

On the NSE, Nifty FMCG was up 0.48 per cent, Nifty IT surged 1.61 per cent, Nifty PSU Bank gained 0.18 per cent, and Nifty Metal rose 0.30 per cent. Nifty Auto slipped 0.3 per cent, Nifty Pharma fell 0.22 per cent, and Nifty Media also declined.

Stocks and events in focus

Several major companies are set to announce their Q3 results today, including Reliance Industries, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Polycab India, L&T Finance, Federal Bank, JSW Infrastructure, Poonawalla Fincorp, Central Bank of India, JB Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, and Tata Technologies.

Fund flows and global cues

On the fund flow front for January 14, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 4,781.2 crore, while domestic institutional investors were net buyers to the tune of Rs 5,217.3 crore.

Globally, US markets were supported by easing Iran-related tensions, strong results from TSMC that boosted AI and semiconductor stocks, and gains in financials led by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Asian markets, however, traded mixed in early deals.

Sentiment was also aided by expectations of an early India-US trade deal, with officials indicating that both countries are close to a consensus. Reports of the US stepping back from military action against Iran reduced geopolitical concerns. Separately, Taiwan-based semiconductor companies are expected to step up investments in the US, while recent US visa restrictions announced for citizens of 75 countries do not include India