Indian equity markets look set for a firm start on Thursday, extending their recent recovery momentum after benchmark indices logged gains for the third consecutive session in the previous trade.
The BSE Sensex rang the opening bell near 83,850, climbing more than 100 points, while the NSE Nifty50 opened trading today around 25,850, inching up almost 30 points, as of 9:15 AM.
In the pre-open hour around 9:07 AM, the Sensex was up 237.16 points, or 0.28 per cent, at 83,971.41, and the Nifty gained 54.00 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 25,873.35, indicating a positive opening.
The upbeat pre-open trend follows Wednesday’s volatile yet constructive session, where late buying in banking, metal and FMCG stocks lifted benchmarks higher.
How Did Markets Close On February 18?
On Wednesday, the Sensex advanced 283.29 points, or 0.34 per cent, to settle at 83,734.25 after fluctuating through the session. The index touched an intraday high of 83,770.05.
The Nifty climbed 93.95 points, or 0.37 per cent, to close at 25,819.35, marking its third straight day of gains.
Market participants noted that the late-session surge helped indices recover from a cautious start.
“Indian markets witnessed a late surge driven by broad-based buying after a cautious start, as positive domestic sectoral cues helped offset lingering global uncertainties,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Ltd.
Buying interest was concentrated in financials, metals and select FMCG counters.
Banking and financial stocks remained resilient on the back of steady asset quality expectations, while selective buying in FMCG names contributed to relative outperformance, Nair added.
However, the IT pack continued to underperform amid persistent concerns over AI-led disruption and margin pressures, keeping sentiment in the sector subdued.


