Benchmarks added some gains in late afternoon session supported by strong buying in IT stocks with BSE IT index surging 4.31%. Sentiments also remained upbeat as Brent crude oil prices declined below $71 a barrel mark amid optimism over US-Iran negotiations. Further, investors were optimistic after India and Japan unveiled a raft of initiatives, including an economic partnership framework and a defence pact to co-develop military hardware following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi. The two sides also rolled out measures to solidify their cooperation in key sectors such as energy and critical technology.
On the global front, Asian equity markets were trading mixed as AI-related concerns triggered a sharp sell-off in semiconductor shares. European equity markets were trading higher as falling crude oil prices eased inflation and interest-rate concerns.
The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 77466.80, up by 544.16 points or 0.71% after trading in a range of 77063.95 and 77467.57. There were 23 stocks advancing against 7 stocks declining on the index.
The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 4.31%, TECK up by 2.63%, Consumer Durables up by 1.39%, Realty up by 1.19% and Auto up by 1.09%, while Capital Goods down by 0.92%, Telecom down by 0.86%, Power down by 0.77% and Industrials down by 0.52% were the few losing indices on BSE.
The top gainers on the Sensex were Infosys up by 5.47%, Tech Mahindra up by 4.32%, TCS up by 4.28%, HCL Technologies up by 4.19% and Bajaj Finserv up by 2.75%. On the flip side, Larsen & Toubro down by 1.32%, Maruti Suzuki India down by 0.44%, Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 0.41%, Bharat Electronics down by 0.41% and Reliance Industries down by 0.32% were the top losers.
Meanwhile, India has rolled out the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G RAM G] Act, 2025 across the country, with an aim to strengthen rural livelihoods and advance the vision of a developed rural India. The Act enhances the statutory wage employment guarantee from 100 days to 125 days for every eligible rural household and seeks to create durable rural assets while accelerating the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
With the Act becoming operational, the Government of India has also notified the revised wage rates under the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 for all States, Union Territories and notified wage areas. As a result, no notified daily wage anywhere in the country will be below Rs 300. The national average notified wage has increased from Rs 298.8 per day to Rs 327.4 per day, reflecting an average enhancement of more than 10 per cent.
States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have witnessed wage increases ranging from 15 to 25 per cent. To ensure seamless and effective implementation of the Act from day one, the Government has already released an interim allocation of Rs 95,692.31 crore to States and Union Territories to facilitate uninterrupted employment generation, timely wage payments and execution of development works.
The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24173.45, up by 167.60 points or 0.70% after trading in a range of 24058.80 and 24176.30. There were 36 stocks advancing against 14 stocks declining on the index.
The top gainers on Nifty were Infosys up by 5.53%, TCS up by 4.35%, Tech Mahindra up by 4.32%, HCL Technologies up by 4.30% and Bajaj Finserv up by 2.72%. On the flip side, Larsen & Toubro down by 1.20%, Max Healthcare Institute down by 1.03%, Bajaj Auto down by 0.48%, SBI Life Insurance down by 0.47% and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles down by 0.46% were the top losers.
Asian equity markets were trading mixed; Nikkei 225 slipped 1344.96 points or 1.95% to 69,130.00, Taiwan Weighted lost 274.83 points or 0.59% to 46,744.16, KOSPI dropped 655.32 points or 8.57% to 7,648.09 and Shanghai Composite weakened 83.55 points or 2.07% to 4,028.90, while Hang Seng advanced 79.98 points or 0.35% to 22,961.00, Straits Times rose 47.46 points or 0.91% to 5,208.96 and Jakarta Composite gained 60.94 points or 1.06% to 5,756.06.
European equity markets were trading higher; UK’s FTSE 100 increased 44.78 points or 0.43% to 10,523.12, France’s CAC rose 45.11 points or 0.54% to 8,382.40 and Germany’s DAX gained 117.32 points or 0.47% to 25,157.60.
