Bourses trim some losses in early afternoon session

Indian markets trimmed some of their losses in early afternoon session but continued to trade in red. Losses got trimmed as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that India was among Russia's top foreign trade partners as Moscow redirected its energy flows to friendly countries. However, some cautiousness came as Ministry of Commerce & Industry’s latest data stated that the output of eight key infrastructure sectors grew at a slower pace of 3.7 per cent in December 2025 as compared to 5.1 per cent in the same month last year, amid a dip in production of crude oil, natural gas, and refinery products. Sector wise, sugar stocks remained in limelight as Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) in its report said that India's sugar production rose 22 per cent to 15.9 million tonnes by January 15 in the 2025-26 season as compared to 13 million tonnes in the same. 

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed following negative cues from Wall Street overnight, as traders were cautious and remained reluctant to take major positions amid renewed concerns about a trade war between the U.S. and Europe over US President Donald Trump's efforts to take control of Greenland.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 81940.42, down by 240.05 points or 0.29% after trading in a range of 81124.45 and 82282.25. There were 17 stocks advancing against 13 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in red; the BSE Mid cap index declined 0.95%, while Small cap index was down by 0.73%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Oil & Gas up by 0.42%, Energy up by 0.35%, Telecom up by 0.31%, Power up by 0.12% and Utilities was up by 0.12%, while Bankex down by 0.93%, Industrials down by 0.88%, Consumer Durables down by 0.86%, Capital Goods down by 0.77% and Realty was down by 0.53% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Eternal up by 3.07%, Ultratech Cement up by 1.56%, Interglobe Aviation up by 1.45%, Power Grid up by 1.26% and Bajaj Finance up by 1.09%. On the flip side, ICICI Bank down by 1.84%, Larsen & Toubro down by 1.37%, Trent down by 1.31%, Bharat Electronics down by 1.21% and Axis Bank down by 1.01% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that European Union (EU) is on the verge of sealing a historic trade agreement with India that is being called 'the mother of all deals'. Leyen asserted it will create a market for 2 billion people or about one-fourth of the global GDP.

She said the real would crucially provide a first-mover advantage for Europe with one of the world's fastest-growing and most dynamic continents. She stated ‘From Latin America to the Indo-Pacific and far beyond, Europe will always choose the world. And the world is ready to choose Europe.’

President of the European Council, Antonio Costa and Leyen will be in India from January 25 to 27 to grace the Republic Day celebrations as chief guests and hold summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two sides are set to announce the conclusion of negotiations on the much-awaited Free Trade Agreement at the India-EU summit on January 27, 2026.

The European Union is India’s largest trade partner, with bilateral trade in goods reaching $135 billion in the 2023-24 financial year. The free trade agreement is expected to significantly enhance trade ties. India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 25185.85, down by 46.65 points or 0.18% after trading in a range of 24919.80 and 25277.75. There were 26 stocks advancing against 24 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Eternal up by 3.95%, Interglobe Aviation up by 1.48%, Ultratech Cement up by 1.38%, JSW Steel up by 1.33% and Power Grid up by 1.32%. On the flip side, ICICI Bank down by 1.88%, Eicher Motors down by 1.46%, Trent down by 1.46%, Larsen & Toubro down by 1.43% and Bharat Electronics down by 1.31% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Taiwan Weighted lost 513.62 points or 1.64% to 31,246.37, Nikkei 225 slipped 232.1 points or 0.44% to 52,759.00, Jakarta Composite plunged 113.25 points or 1.24% to 9,021.45 and Straits Times was down by 17.98 points or 0.37% to 4,810.02. On the flip side, Shanghai Composite strengthened 3.74 points or 0.09% to 4,117.39, KOSPI increased 24.18 points or 0.49% to 4,909.93 and Hang Seng was up by 40.49 points or 0.15% to 26,528.00.