Indian stock markets are positioned for a positive start on Thursday, with higher GIFT Nifty futures and fairly steady Asian stocks supporting optimistic sentiment. According to RTTNews, higher GIFT Nifty futures and fairly steady Asian stocks point to a firm opening for Indian shares. Investors are likely to pick up stocks amid hopes a fresh round of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. this week will help resolve the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This represents a significant shift from the previous session's cautious trading, where Gift Nifty was trading around 24,140 level, a discount of nearly 56 points from the Nifty futures' previous close, indicating a negative start for Friday's session.
The Indian stock market benchmark indices ended lower on Thursday despite opening with strong gains, as persistent profit booking and selling pressure offset positive global cues. The NSE Nifty 50 closed at 24,196.75, down 34.55 points or 0.14%, while the BSE Sensex settled at 77,988.68, declining 122.56 points or 0.16%. According to Open Magazine, both indices had opened higher tracking positive global signals but failed to sustain momentum as the trading session progressed. Gift Nifty was trading around 24,140 level, a discount of nearly 56 points from the Nifty futures' previous close, indicating a negative start for Friday's session.
A fresh round of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. this week is providing significant support to market sentiment, with investors hopeful that these talks will help resolve the ongoing Middle East conflict. As reported by RTTNews, investors are likely to pick up stocks amid hopes a fresh round of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. this week will help resolve the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This development comes after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel going into effect on Thursday, with US President Donald Trump indicating that Iran had offered not to possess nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. These developments have contributed to optimism that the US-Iran war could come to an end soon, providing a positive backdrop for market sentiment.
Sectoral performance showed mixed trends with financials and auto stocks weighing on the indices, while IT, metal and media stocks provided support. According to Open Magazine, Nifty Auto declined by 0.38%, while Nifty PSU Bank and Private Bank indices also slipped. Oil & Gas stocks saw mild declines, reflecting pressure from elevated crude prices. On the positive side, Nifty IT rose by 0.88%, while metals saw stronger gains of over 1.5%. FMCG stocks also edged higher, suggesting some defensive buying amid market uncertainty.
Asian markets presented a mixed but largely positive picture, with Japan's Nikkei 225 surging over 2%, while Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea also recorded gains. However, Singapore's Straits Times index declined slightly, reflecting uneven sentiment across the region. According to Open Magazine, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.7% and the Topix declined 0.62%, South Korea's Kospi dropped 0.43% while the Kosdaq fell 0.35% in the previous session. The US stock market ended higher with the Nasdaq rising for the 12th consecutive session, its longest winning streak since July 2009.
