Bourses continue to trade lower in early afternoon session

Indian markets continued to trade lower in early afternoon session tracing mixed cues from other Asian markets. Sentiments remained downbeat as Crisil Ratings in its latest report has warned that India’s merchandise exports are likely to face strong headwinds due to uncertainty persists over India's trade negotiations with the United States (US) and concerns grow over further US tariffs on Russian crude oil purchases. Sector wise, textile sector remained in limelight as textile ministry has said that the exports of textiles and apparel from India have demonstrated resilience and steady growth in December 2025, despite a subdued global trade environment and the steep 50 per cent tariffs imposed by the US, the country's largest export market for textiles and apparel industry.  On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed as Japan's industrial production decreased more than initially estimated in November. Industrial production dropped 2.7 percent monthly in November, reversing a 1.5 percent increase in October. In the initial estimate, industrial output showed a decline of 2.6 percent.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 83040.07, down by 530.28 points or 0.63% after trading in a range of 82898.31 and 83539.93. 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 0.50%, while Small cap index was down by 1.07%.

The few gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Metal up by 0.15%, FMCG up by 0.10% and Capital Goods was up by 0.02%, while Realty down by 2.22%, Energy down by 1.68%, Oil & Gas down by 1.50%, Telecom down by 1.02% and Utilities was down by 0.83% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Tech Mahindra up by 3.61%, Interglobe Aviation up by 3.45%, Kotak Mahindra Bank up by 2.58%, Bajaj Finance up by 2.10% and Hindustan Unilever up by 1.67%. On the flip side, Reliance Industries down by 3.52%, ICICI Bank down by 3.02%, Eternal down by 2.63%, Adani Ports down by 1.65% and TCS down by 1.52% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, India has stepped up efforts to deepen global economic engagement by signing a series of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with developed economies, and Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal sees these agreements as significant opportunities for startups and entrepreneurs. He further noted that these agreements create certainty and confidence for investors while opening new markets for Indian goods and services.

He encouraged startups to explore startup-to-startup collaborations and partnerships with countries abroad to attract investment and expand globally, highlighting opportunities across services, mobility, payments, sustainability, renewable energy and advanced technologies. On deep-tech innovation, the Minister expressed optimism about the progress being made across the country. He noted that recent policy discussions have brought sharper focus to deep-tech development and said that the second Rs 10,000-crore Startup Fund of Funds announced by the Government will significantly support deep-tech startups, particularly at early and critical stages of growth. 

Goyal emphasized the importance of building strong domestic supply chains by connecting startups and small enterprises with large investors and manufacturers. He stated that institutions such as Invest India and DPIIT are working to facilitate these linkages, enabling startups to access captive demand, capital and scale. He encouraged entrepreneurs to explore emerging opportunities, take calculated risks and leverage India’s unmatched talent base to drive innovation-led growth.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 25531.15, down by 163.20 points or 0.64% after trading in a range of 25494.35 and 25653.30. There were 21 stocks advancing against 28 stocks declining on the index, while 1 stock remained unchanged. 

The top gainers on Nifty were Tech Mahindra up by 3.66%, Interglobe Aviation up by 3.43%, Kotak Mahindra Bank up by 2.58%, Bajaj Finance up by 2.05% and Hindustan Unilever up by 1.61%. On the flip side, Wipro down by 7.31%, Reliance Industries down by 3.53%, Tata Motors Passenger down by 3.15%, ICICI Bank down by 2.98% and Eternal down by 2.62% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Taiwan Weighted added 230.59 points or 0.73% to 31,639.29, KOSPI increased 63.92 points or 1.3% to 4,904.66, Jakarta Composite gained 36.55 points or 0.4% to 9,111.96 and Shanghai Composite was up by 12.09 points or 0.29% to 4,114.00. On the flip side, Straits Times fell 23.3 points or 0.48% to 4,825.80, Hang Seng declined 275.96 points or 1.03% to 26,569.00 and Nikkei 225 was down by 402.17 points or 0.75% to 53,534.00.