Mumbai’s bustling stock market kicked off Friday on a positive note, with the Sensex climbing 28 points to 82,335 and the Nifty advancing 55 points to 25,344. This modest opening sets a cautiously optimistic tone amid mixed global cues.
Early trading saw metal and IT sectors leading the charge, injecting momentum into the broader indices. Healthcare, pharma, consumer durables, commodities, private banks, and auto stocks also traded firmly in green territory, buoyed by investor confidence.
However, not all sectors shared the enthusiasm. Realty, energy, FMCG, PSU banks, India defense, oil & gas, and infra indices dipped into the red, reflecting selective profit-taking and sector-specific pressures.
The rally extended beyond largecaps, with midcap and smallcap stocks joining the upward swing. The Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 131 points or 0.25% to 58,322, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 gained 34 points or 0.20% to 16,711, signaling broad-based participation.
In the Sensex pack, standout gainers included TCS, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Bharti Airtel, M&M, Trent, ITC, and HDFC Bank. On the flip side, IndiGo, Power Grid, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, L&T, and SBI emerged as top losers.
Global markets provided a supportive backdrop, with Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul trading higher. Jakarta was the outlier in red. US indices had closed positively on Thursday, adding to the bullish sentiment.
Institutional flows remained a key highlight. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continued their selling spree, offloading shares worth Rs 2,549.80 crore, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) countered with robust buying of Rs 4,222.98 crore.
Market experts anticipate this FII selling-DII buying pattern to persist into 2026 unless corporate earnings surprise positively or the government introduces fresh incentives to lure foreign capital. Investors are advised to stay vigilant amid these dynamics.