The Indian equity markets saw moderate gains on Tuesday, with the Sensex rising by 208 points and the Nifty surging by 67 points. The broader markets outperformed the benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 100 index adding 0.49% and the NSE Smallcap 100 surging by 0.38%. Microcap companies showed strength, with the Nifty Microcap 250 index gaining 1% on the back of robust Q3FY26 earnings.
Market sentiment was positive, driven by foreign institutional investor (FII) buying, favorable global cues, and optimism surrounding the India-US interim trade deal. Sectoral indices, except pharma and PSU Bank, traded with gains. Nifty Media was the top gainer, rising by 2.40%, while Nifty Auto climbed 1.37%.
The Indian rupee closed higher against the dollar at 90.52 per USD on Tuesday. Immediate support levels for Nifty are seen at 25,550–25,600, followed by a stronger demand zone near 25,450–25,500, according to market analysts. Nifty Bank closed at 60,626.40, down 0.07%, with immediate support at 60,500.
In January, Nifty 50 declined by 3.10%, but showed a 7.71% increase over the past year. Nifty 500 remained flat in January and closed the year up by 6.94%, while midcap and smallcap indices were negative for the month, down between 3.53% to 5.52%.
