Indian equity benchmarks ended higher on Thursday as investors cheered falling crude oil prices following positive development on the geopolitical front. Qatar said indirect talks between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz had made ‘positive progress’. Besides, a strong relief rally in IT and TECK stocks boosted investor sentiment.
Some of the important factors in trade:
Finance Minister on four-day visit to France to strengthen economic cooperation, promote investment: With an aim to deepen the India-France strategic partnership, strengthen economic cooperation, and promote investment, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is on a four-day official visit to France, where she will participate in a series of high-level engagements.
Crisil expects MFI AUM growth to accelerate to 20% in FY27: A domestic rating agency Crisil in its latest report has said that the assets under management (AUM) of the microfinance institutions (MFIs) are likely to grow 20 per cent in fiscal year 2026-27 (FY27), a sharp acceleration from 4 per cent growth recorded last fiscal.
DGTR starts anti-dumping probes against five products imported from China, other nations: The Commerce Ministry's investigation arm -- Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has started anti-dumping probes against imports of five products from China and other nations. The investigation was initiated following separate complaints filled by domestic manufacturers.
Profitability of Indian cement manufacturers likely to come under pressure in Q1FY27: India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) in its latest report has said that the profitability of Indian cement manufacturers is expected to face pressure in Q1FY27 due to a sharp increase in fuel, freight and other input costs, besides product price hikes by industry players.
Global front: European markets were trading higher as easing concerns about inflation and interest rates, and reports of positive progress in US-Iran talks lifted sentiment. Asian markets ended mixed as AI-related concerns triggered a sharp sell-off in semiconductor shares. Investors also looked ahead to U.S. monthly jobs data due later in the day.
Finally, the BSE Sensex rose 579.48 points or 0.75% to 77,502.12 and the CNX Nifty was up by 169.85 points or 0.71% to 24,175.70.
The BSE Sensex touched high and low of 77,578.93 and 77,063.95, respectively. There were 23 stocks advancing against 7 stocks declining on the index.
The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 4.37%, TECK up by 2.68%, Consumer Durables up by 1.45%, Realty up by 1.43% and Auto up by 1.33%, while Capital Goods down by 0.73%, Telecom down by 0.67%, Power down by 0.64% and Industrials down by 0.27% were the top losing indices on BSE.
The top gainers on the Sensex were Infosys up by 5.64%, Tech Mahindra up by 4.32%, TCS up by 4.28%, HCL Technologies up by 4.12% and Bajaj Finserv up by 3.25%. On the flip side, Larsen & Toubro down by 0.78%, Maruti Suzuki India down by 0.43%, Axis Bank down by 0.33%, Reliance Industries down by 0.32% and Bharat Electronics down by 0.26% were the top losers.
Meanwhile, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) in its latest report has said that the profitability of Indian cement manufacturers is expected to face pressure in the first quarter of current financial year (Q1FY27) due to a sharp increase in fuel, freight and other input costs, besides product price hikes by industry players. The report stated that operating costs and key raw materials, including pet coke, coal, diesel and packing materials, increased during the quarter, adversely impacting the sector's margins.
However, it said with the softening in the prices of crude and pet coke in the past month, the industry could see some respite in production cost over the next couple of quarters. Besides, it stated that cement demand is expected to grow at a mid-single-digit rate year-on-year in Q1 of FY27, after growing 8 per cent in FY26. Listed cement companies reported around 6 per cent year-on-year volume growth in the January-March quarter of FY26.
It noted that cement demand began FY27 on a strong footing, with production volumes increasing 9 per cent year-on-year in April, up from 6 per cent growth recorded in April 2025. However, demand growth may have moderated during May and June due to adverse weather conditions, including heatwaves and rains in various parts of the country, along with higher inflationary pressures.
CNX Nifty touched high and low of 24,194.55 and 24,058.80, respectively. There were 33 stocks advancing against 17 stocks declining on the index.
The top gainers on Nifty were Infosys up by 5.82%, Tech Mahindra up by 4.57%, HCL Technologies up by 4.56%, TCS up by 4.45% and Bajaj Finserv up by 3.42%. On the flip side, Max Healthcare down by 1.05%, Larsen & Toubro down by 0.87%, Axis Bank down by 0.69%, Nestle India down by 0.56% and Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 0.47% were the top losers.
European markets were trading higher; UK’s FTSE 100 increased 50.09 points or 0.48% to 10,528.43, France’s CAC rose 66.11 points or 0.79% to 8,403.40 and Germany’s DAX gained 249.32 points or 0.99% to 25,289.60.
Asian markets ended mixed on Thursday tracking Wall Street's slight fall overnight as AI-related concerns triggered a sharp sell-off in semiconductor shares. A survey showed that US manufacturing activity slowed in June after surging in the prior month. Additionally, ADP reported that US private businesses added 98,000 new jobs in June, missing street estimates of 110,000 and falling below the prior month's 122,000 increase. Investors remained cautious ahead of the widely watched US monthly labor market report, which is expected to provide fresh clues about labor market conditions and the Federal Reserve's interest rate outlook. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said inflation risks had eased over the past month while reaffirming the central bank's commitment to restoring price stability, signaling there was no urgency to raise interest rates. South Korea experienced acute selloffs after reports that Apple is in active negotiations to purchase chips from two Chinese semiconductor makers on a Pentagon blacklist, as the company seeks to ease the impact of a global memory shortage that has forced price increases across its product line-up.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 4,028.90 | -83.54 | -2.03 |
Hang Seng | 23,055.03 | 174.01 | 0.76 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,744.56 | 49.44 | 0.86 |
KLSE Composite | 1,661.83 | 5.00 | 0.30 |
Nikkei 225 | 68,733.15 | -1,741.81 | -2.47 |
Straits Times | 5,217.15 | 55.65 | 1.08 |
KOSPI Composite | 7,648.09 | -655.32 | -7.89 |
Taiwan Weighted | 46,744.16 | -274.83 | -0.5 |
