Markets opened in positive territory on Thursday, with the climbing from its previous close of 77,958.52 to open at 78,339.24, trading at 78,072.31, up 113.79 points or 0.15 per cent, as of 9.17 AM. The , which closed at 24,330.95 on Wednesday, opened at 24,398.50 and was trading at 24,360.55, up 29.60 points or 0.12 per cent, at the same time.
The mild gains came on the back of a strong overnight session on Wall Street, where optimism over a potential US-Iran ceasefire and a rally in artificial intelligence stocks pushed American indices to record highs. The S&P 500 rose 1.46 per cent to 7,365, the Dow Jones gained 612 points or 1.24 per cent to 49,910, and the Nasdaq climbed over 2 per cent, with the Nasdaq 100 touching 28,599.
“Despite the West Asia geopolitical tensions, the US market is at record highs and the AI trade is continuing unabated,” said Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments Limited. “…A reversal of FPI outflows from India will happen only when the AI trade weakens or AI valuations become excessive.”
Among Nifty50 top gainers, HDFC Life Insurance led the pack, opening at ₹611 and trading at ₹613, up 1.10 per cent. Trent rose 1.03 per cent to ₹4,334 from a previous close of ₹4,289.80, while SBI Life Insurance gained 1.03 per cent to trade at ₹1,878.20 against a previous close of ₹1,859. Max Healthcare was up 0.93 per cent at ₹1,025.30, and Bajaj Auto added 0.92 per cent to trade at ₹10,413.50 against a previous close of ₹10,319.
On the losing side, Power Grid slipped 0.60 per cent to ₹314.05, while Hindalco fell 0.52 per cent to ₹1,040.40. Titan dropped 0.51 per cent to ₹4,337.30, Kotak Mahindra Bank was down 0.44 per cent at ₹374.95, and HDFC Bank edged lower by 0.40 per cent to ₹793.40.
The banking space opened on a mixed note. While HDFC Bank and Kotak Bank were under mild pressure, analysts remained broadly constructive on the sector. “Bank Nifty, Realty, and Financial Services indices rallied over 2 per cent,” said Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research at Kotak Securities, referring to Wednesday’s session. “…After a long time, it succeeded in closing above the 24,200 resistance mark, which is largely positive.”
The previous session saw Bank Nifty form a strong bullish candlestick pattern with support seen in the 55,000–55,300 zone and resistance at 56,500–56,700.
Foreign Institutional Investors remained net sellers on Wednesday, offloading equities worth ₹5,834 crore. Domestic Institutional Investors stepped in as buyers, purchasing equities worth ₹6,836 crore, helping cushion the market.
Crude oil prices softened amid reports of progress in US-Iran diplomatic talks, with Brent trading near $97 per barrel, down from levels above $110 seen earlier. The Indian rupee posted its largest single-day gain since April 2, appreciating 67 paise on Wednesday, supported by the fall in crude and a weakening dollar.
“Crude has retreated meaningfully from recent highs above $110 and is now consolidating in the $95–97 range, offering relief on inflationary pressures,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money. “…Investors remain cautious and closely attuned to incoming developments—particularly Iran’s response.”
The AI rally in the US — led by Nvidia surging 5.68 per cent and Advanced Micro Devices jumping over 18 per cent on strong earnings — lifted sentiment in Asian markets. Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 4 per cent to a fresh high. Washington and Beijing are also reportedly considering formal discussions on AI, which may feature at an expected Trump-Xi summit.
“The market is rewarding good results and punishing poor results in the ongoing Q4 results season,” noted Vijayakumar. “…There are positive results across market caps.”
Rajesh Palviya, Head of Research at Axis Direct, noted that “bulls now need a daily close above 24,500 to continue the bounce toward 24,700; failure to hold 24,250 could quickly bring 24,000 into focus.”
Traders will be watching key technical levels through the session, with Nifty resistance at 24,550–24,600 and support at 24,000–24,200, as markets navigate geopolitical uncertainty and a busy domestic results calendar.