Sensex Rises 119 Points, Nifty Ends Below 24,400 Amid Mixed Sectoral Trend

Indian benchmark indices ended on a mixed note on Thursday as investors balanced supportive inflation data against persistent concerns over elevated crude oil prices and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The BSE Sensex rose 119.08 points, or 0.15%, to close at 78,079.96, while the Nifty 50 slipped 40.15 points, or 0.16%, to settle at 24,395.85.

Among Sensex constituents, Titan, ICICI Bank and Reliance Industries were the biggest drags, while NTPC, InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) and Bharat Electronics (BEL) emerged as the top gainers.

Realty Outperforms As Metal, PSU Banks Weigh

Sectorally, Metal and PSU Bank indices were the worst performers, while Realty and FMCG stocks led the gains.

The broader market continued to outperform the benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap 100 ending 0.15% higher and the Nifty Smallcap 100 gaining 0.27%.

The Indian rupee weakened by 11 paise to close at ₹95.44 per US dollar, compared with Wednesday's close of ₹95.33.

Asian Markets End Mixed

Asian equities closed on a mixed note. Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 1.16%, Taiwan's benchmark rose 1.11%, while South Korea's Kospi surged 3.56%. New Zealand's NZX 50 also advanced 0.64%.

However, China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.50%, Shenzhen Composite declined 0.87%, Malaysia's benchmark lost 0.40%, and Australia's ASX 200 slipped 0.23%. Singapore's STI was largely unchanged, easing 0.01%.

Technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks continued to support gains in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

Analysts See Crude Prices As Key Near-term Risk

Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments, said softer-than-expected inflation readings in both India and the US have strengthened expectations that the RBI and the US Federal Reserve can maintain a patient monetary policy stance.

However, he said elevated crude oil prices and geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East continue to cap investor risk appetite. According to Nair, the ongoing earnings season has reinforced confidence in India's demand environment and corporate resilience, while near-term market direction will depend on energy prices, geopolitical developments and the sustainability of foreign institutional inflows.