Indian equities opened on a high note Friday, riding a wave of relief from potential de-escalation in the Middle East. By 9:25 AM, BSE Sensex had surged 801 points (1.08%) to 75,008, and NSE Nifty advanced 248 points (1.08%) to 23,250, setting an upbeat tone for the session.
Public sector banks and energy plays led the ascent, with Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Energy topping the gainers’ list. A broad-based rally enveloped most sectoral indices, including metals, commodities, PSE, oil & gas, defense, IT, manufacturing, infrastructure, media, auto, and pharmaceuticals—all flashing green.
Mid and small-cap segments mirrored the large-cap strength. Nifty Midcap 100 gained 943 points (1.73%) to reach 55,436, while Nifty Smallcap 100 added 207 points (1.32%) at 15,911.
Sensex heavyweights like Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, SBI, L&T, Power Grid, NTPC, Infosys, HCL Tech, Titan, Adani Ports, ICICI Bank, Eternal, Indigo, ITC, TCS, and Asian Paints posted robust gains. Only HDFC Bank bucked the trend as a loser.
Market watcher Hitesh Tayler from Choice Broking cautioned about lingering downside pressures, pinpointing Nifty resistance at 23,200-23,250 and support around 22,850-22,900.
The positive sentiment stems from recent US and Israeli cues suggesting lower odds of escalation with Iran, boosting global risk appetite. Asian markets followed suit, with gains in Korea, Singapore, Australia, and China. In contrast, Wall Street ended Thursday in the red, Dow falling 0.44% and Nasdaq 0.28%.
FIIs persisted with net selling, exiting Rs 7,558.19 crore worth of Indian equities on Thursday. DIIs, however, stepped in aggressively, investing Rs 3,863.96 crore. With momentum building, traders are watching for sustained buying and fresh catalysts to push indices higher.