The Indian benchmark indices showed positive movement early on Friday, driven by robust macroeconomic indicators and stable domestic fundamentals. Sensex rose by 185 points, or 0.22%, reaching 85,374, while Nifty climbed 61 points, or 0.24%, to 26,208 by 9:30 am. Both main broad-cap indices mirrored this growth, with Nifty Midcap 100 up by 0.42% and Nifty Smallcap 100 by 0.30%.
In the Nifty Pack, major gainers included Maruti Suzuki, ONGC, and Tata Steel, while losers comprised Titan Company, Tata Consumer, Dr. Reddy’s Labs, Apollo Hospitals, and Bajaj Finance. Among sectoral gainers, all indices except FMCG, IT, and Pharma were in the green, with auto and metal sectors leading with gains of 0.89% and 0.79% respectively.
Market watchers noted that immediate support levels were seen at 26,000–26,050, with resistance near 26,250–26,300. Indian equities had a quiet start to 2026 on Thursday, ending mostly flat due to low trading volumes. Analysts highlighted a significant 25.8% YoY rise in passenger vehicle sales in December, indicating positive growth momentum in the economy.
The consumer durables industry, which lagged last year, is expected to catch up, benefiting from interest rate and GST cuts. Analysts suggested that these cuts are yet to fully impact consumer durables demand, presenting short-term growth opportunities for the sector. In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index gained 0.09%, while Japan’s Nikkei declined by 0.37% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose by 2.29%.
