Indian equity benchmarks traded firmly higher on Friday, with the Sensex rising over 400 points and the Nifty 50 moving above the 25,750 mark, supported
by strong gains in information technology stocks after Infosys delivered better-than-expected quarterly results and raised its full-year revenue growth outlook. Markets reopened after remaining shut on Thursday due to a trading holiday for the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation elections. In the previous session on Wednesday, both benchmarks had ended lower, extending a recent losing streak amid concerns over potential US tariff actions and persistent foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows. On Wednesday, the BSE Sensex slipped 245 points, or 0.29%, to close at 83,382.71, while the NSE Nifty fell 66.7 points, or 0.26%, to 25,665.60. That marked the seventh decline in eight sessions, highlighting cautious investor sentiment despite selective buying in metal and banking stocks. IT stocks lift the market Friday’s rebound was led by IT counters, with Infosys’ upbeat earnings outlook improving sentiment across the sector. Stocks such as Wipro and Tech Mahindra also traded higher ahead of key quarterly results, while select mid-cap IT names outperformed the broader market. Stock-specific action continues Beyond IT, several stocks saw sharp moves following earnings updates. Angel One surged more than 7% after reporting strong Q3 results, announcing an interim dividend and a 1:10 stock split. Groww shares jumped over 6% on positive brokerage commentary post its quarterly performance. Meanwhile, investor focus remains on Reliance Industries Ltd, which is scheduled to announce its Q3 results later today. Analysts expect strong performance in refining to offset weakness in retail and petrochemicals, while Jio’s telecom business is seen maintaining steady growth. Global cues mixed Asian markets traded mixed, with modest gains in Hong Kong and Shanghai, while Japan’s Topix edged lower. US equity futures were slightly higher, offering limited directional cues for domestic markets. Market experts caution that the broader trend remains fragile. Persistent FII selling and the build-up of short positions could cap sharp upside moves, even as earnings-driven stock-specific action continues. “There are no immediate triggers to push the market decisively higher or lower,” said Dr. V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments. He added that while better-than-expected results may drive individual stocks, sustained rallies are likely to face resistance due to ongoing foreign selling. For long-term investors, analysts believe the current range-bound and volatile phase offers opportunities to gradually accumulate high-quality stocks at reasonable valuations.
