Indian equity markets are set for trading on a cautious note on Friday after ending almost unchanged in the previous session, as investors weighed global developments and preferred to avoid aggressive positioning.
The BSE Sensex started the session near 82,050, falling close to 200 points, while the NSE Nifty50 opened trading around 25,400, taking a hit of nearly 100 points, as of 9:15 AM.
On the 30-share Sensex, Infosys, Tech M, HCL Tech, TCS, and Eternal opened among the gainers. Meanwhile, the laggards in the opening hour included Maruti, IndiGo, M&M, Airtel, and HUL.
In the broader markets, the Nifty Financial Services fell 0.36 per cent. Sectorally, the IT and Midsmall IT & Telecom indices surged 1.61 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. On the other hand, the FMCG and Chemical indices took a hit of 0.60 per cent and 0.57 per cent respectively.
In the pre-open session around 9:11 AM, the Sensex was at 82,220.48, down 28.13 points or 0.03 per cent, while the Nifty stood at 25,459.85, lower by 36.70 points or 0.14 per cent, indicating a marginally weak start.
Markets End Flat After Volatile Thursday Session
On Thursday, benchmark indices closed largely unchanged following a choppy trading day. The BSE benchmark slipped 27.46 points, or 0.03 per cent, to settle at 82,248.61. During the session, the index oscillated sharply between a high of 82,579.16 and a low of 81,970.47, swinging 608.69 points.
The NSE main index inched up 14.05 points, or 0.06 per cent, to close at 25,496.55, reflecting a clear tug-of-war between buyers and sellers.
Market participants said early optimism gave way to caution as investors chose to book profits at higher levels rather than extend positions ahead of key global and domestic triggers.
Analysts attributed the subdued close to increased caution ahead of the US-Iran nuclear talks, as well as important economic data releases including US initial jobless claims and India’s GDP print.
“The domestic market surrendered its early gains amid mixed global cues and increased caution ahead of the US–Iran nuclear talks, as well as key data releases including US initial jobless claims and India’s GDP print, which triggered profit-booking,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited.
Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, noted that while global cues from technology and metal stocks were initially supportive, investors opted to trim exposure at higher levels instead of chasing momentum.
