Key gauges trade marginally in green in morning deals

Indian equity benchmarks erased initial losses and were trading marginally in green in morning deals, as buying in blue-chip stocks including Infosys and ITC helped the markets to recover the lost ground. Traders took some support with a report stated that trade agreements with the US and the 27-nation bloc European Union (EU) have opened up an opportunity of $400 billion for India's agriculture sector. Some support also came with Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal’s statement that a team of Indian officials will visit the U.S. next week to finalise the legal text for an interim trade agreement, which is likely to be signed in March. However, gains remain capped as some concern came with a government survey showed that the rate of unemployment in India among persons aged 15 years and above rose slightly to 5 per cent in January this year from 4.8 per cent in December 2025. On the global front, Japan’s Nikkei is trading lower with losses in technology and defense sectors. Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea markets are closed today for Lunar New Year holidays.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 83401.12, up by 123.97 points or 0.15% after trading in a range of 82987.43 and 83422.20. There were 15 stocks advancing against 15 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 1.93%, TECK up by 1.21%, FMCG up by 0.82%, Consumer Durables up by 0.81% and Industrials up by 0.70%, while Metal down by 1.07%, Oil & Gas down by 0.75%, Energy down by 0.67%, Realty down by 0.61% and Basic Materials down by 0.25% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Infosys up by 2.81%, ITC up by 2.47%, Asian Paints up by 1.64%, HCL Tech. up by 1.49% and Adani Ports &SEZ up by 1.23%. On the flip side, Kwality Wall's (India) down by 4.98%, Eternal down by 2.46%, Tata Steel down by 1.04%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 0.98% and Reliance Industries down by 0.91% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra has said improving access to timely and adequate formal credit for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) continues to be a major policy focus for the central bank. 

As part of the RBI’s ongoing outreach efforts, the governor met with select MSMEs and representatives from MSME associations. Sanjay Malhotra underscored the crucial role of the MSME sector in India's economic landscape, contributing significantly to GDP, exports and livelihoods. 

He also outlined various policy and regulatory initiatives undertaken for the sector by the central government and the RBI. Further, in order to strengthen their long-term resilience and competitiveness, he encouraged MSMEs to pursue formalisation, maintain credit discipline and adopt digital payments.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 25694.65, up by 11.90 points or 0.05% after trading in a range of 25570.30 and 25698.15. There were 21 stocks advancing against 30 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Infosys up by 2.93%, ITC up by 2.55%, Asian Paints up by 1.67%, Wipro up by 1.65% and HCL Technologies up by 1.61%. On the flip side, Kwality Wall's (India) down by 4.83%, Eternal down by 2.67%, Hindalco down by 2.32%, Shriram Finance down by 1.88% and Tata Steel down by 1.13% were the top losers.

On the Asian front, Nikkei 225 slipped 442.41 points or 0.78% to 56,375.00.