Sensex Nifty Flat Start: IT Auto Shine, Midcaps Slip

Indian equities began the day cautiously amid choppy international signals, with major indices hovering near the flatline early Friday. By 9:18 AM, Sensex had edged up 86 points (0.12%) to 75,490, and Nifty gained 30 points (0.12%) to settle at 23,720. Technology and automobile sectors stole the show, as Nifty IT and Nifty Auto topped the charts. Supporting them were gains in Services, FMCG, Healthcare, and Pharma sectors. However, Defence, Metals, Commodities, Realty, Oil & Gas, and PSU Banks faced selling pressure. The divergence extended to market caps: while largecaps held steady, midcaps and smallcaps weakened noticeably. Nifty Midcap 100 dropped 0.32% or 195 points to 60,647, and Nifty Smallcap 100 declined sharper by 0.69% or 123 points to 17,867. Sensex heavyweights like Infosys, Tech Mahindra, TCS, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank (appearing twice in early data), Power Grid, Titan, Maruti Suzuki, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance, HUL, Sun Pharma, IndiGo, and Adani Ports posted advances. On the flip side, SBI, BEL, Eternal, Axis Bank, UltraTech Cement, Trent, Asian Paints, M&M, Tata Steel, and NTPC were among the notable decliners. Overnight, Asian markets were mixed—Shanghai green, but Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Bangkok red. Wall Street ended Thursday on a high, Dow up 0.75%, Nasdaq 0.88%. Investor flows turned positive: FIIs bought net ₹187.46 crore in equities after recent outflows, while DIIs infused ₹684.33 crore. Meanwhile, fuel price hikes in Delhi—petrol at ₹97.77/litre (+₹3.14), diesel ₹90.67/litre (+₹3.11)—may stoke inflationary concerns, influencing future trading patterns.