Stock Market Updates: Sensex, Nifty Trade Flat; Mid, Smallcap Indices Edge Higher; IT Drags
Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty are expected to open on a flat-to-positive note on Thursday
Sensex Today: Indian stock markets opened on a cautious note Thursday as investors weighed June quarter earnings and global signals, including recent comments from former US President Donald Trump on the India-US trade deal. The session is also expected to remain volatile due to the weekly expiry of Nifty50's F&O contracts.
At 9:30 AM, the BSE Sensex was up 30 points at 82,665, while the Nifty50 slipped marginally by 3 points to 25,208, indicating a flat start.
Among the top gainers on the Sensex were Trent, M&M, Sun Pharma, BEL, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, and Titan Company, rising up to 0.6% in early trade. On the flip side, Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Zomato (Eternal), Reliance Industries, HUL, and Adani Ports were among the laggards, falling as much as 1.2%.
In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap and Nifty SmallCap indices gained up to 0.4%, reflecting a slightly positive undertone.
Sectorally, Nifty IT and Nifty Private Bank indices were trading in the red, albeit off their early lows. Meanwhile, Nifty Realty outperformed, rising 1% in early trade.
Global Cues
Markets were also unsettled by Trump's contradictory statements regarding Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. While Trump told reporters that he had no immediate plans to remove Powell, he added, 'I don't rule out anything," following earlier reports suggesting the opposite. He further escalated trade tensions by reiterating plans to impose a 25% tariff on Japanese imports, dimming hopes for a near-term US-Japan trade agreement.
Asian markets reacted cautiously to these developments. Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.46%, South Korea's Kospi declined 0.79%, and Topix remained flat. Australia's ASX 200 stood out with a 0.54% gain, offering a rare bright spot in the region.
Meanwhile, US equity futures edged lower in early Asian trade. S&P 500 futures dropped 0.17%, Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.18%, and Dow futures were down by nearly 80 points or 0.18%. This comes after a volatile session on Wall Street on Wednesday that ended with modest gains. The S&P 500 rose 0.32% to 6,263.70, the Dow Jones gained 231.49 points (0.53%) to settle at 44,254.78, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.26%, ending at a record 20,730.49 for the ninth straight session.
Looking ahead, investors will closely monitor key data releases including US June retail sales, trade figures, and weekly jobless claims for the period ended July 12. In the Eurozone, focus will be on June inflation and core inflation data, which are expected to provide further direction to the global risk appetite.
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July 17, 2025, 09:13 IST
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