Sensex, Nifty Open Higher Amid Hopes of India-US Trade Deal, Bihar Exit Poll Boost

Mumbai — Indian equity markets opened in the green on Wednesday, buoyed by reports of an impending India-US trade agreement and exit polls from Bihar projecting a decisive victory for the NDA alliance.

At 9:25 a.m., the Sensex climbed 496 points or 0.59% to reach 84,367, while the Nifty advanced 147 points or 0.58% to 25,842.

The broader markets mirrored the benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 100 rising 0.55% and the Nifty Smallcap 100 gaining 0.61%.

Among major Nifty gainers were Max Healthcare and Tech Mahindra, while Maruti Suzuki and Trent were among the top laggards.
All sectoral indices were trading in the green except Nifty FMCG, which showed mild weakness. Nifty IT and Nifty Oil & Gas led the rally, rising 1.26% and 0.95%, respectively.

Market analysts said investor sentiment has improved with positive global cues and domestic political clarity.

“Reports of an imminent India-US trade deal and the NDA’s likely victory in Bihar have boosted market confidence. This will strengthen the bulls but may not be sufficient to trigger a decisive breakout or sustained rally,” said market watchers.

They added that foreign institutional investors (FIIs) could continue to sell at higher levels, particularly as the AI-driven trade trend persists.

From a fundamental standpoint, optimism remains strong with robust GDP growth and promising earnings projections for FY27. Experts expect financials, consumption, and defence stocks to drive the next leg of the market rally.

Across Asia, markets traded mostly higher following a mixed close on Wall Street, where investors grew hopeful that the US government shutdown impasse could soon end despite volatility in AI stocks.

In the US, the Nasdaq slipped 0.3%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.18% and the Dow Jones rose 1.2% overnight.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index advanced 0.56%, and South Korea’s Kospi jumped 0.84%. However, China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.23%, Shenzhen dropped 1%, and Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.21%.

On Monday, FIIs were net sellers of equities worth Rs 803 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) remained net buyers at Rs 2,188 crore, according to exchange data.

With inputs from IANS