The BSE Sensex climbed 277 points, or 0.33%, to 83,660 in early trade, while the NSE Nifty 50 advanced 66 points, or 0.26%, to 25,731, with Infosys leading the benchmarks higher. At around 10:37 AM, Sensex traded 716 pts or 0.86% higher at 84,098.59, whereas Nifty50 rose 200 pts to 25,866.
On the 30-share Sensex, gains were led by Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Mahindra & Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Power Grid, with those stocks advancing between 1% and 5%.
Infosys jumped as much as 5%, lifting the IT index by about 2%, after the company surprised investors by raising its fiscal 2026 revenue outlook. Experts said the software exporter is well-positioned to gain market share, citing stronger artificial-intelligence partnerships and deeper engagement with clients.
Broader markets were also slightly higher, with mid-cap shares up 0.2% and small-caps adding 0.1%.
Expert views
There are no triggers to take the market significantly up or down and a directionless drift is the likely trend, said Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, adding that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which could have led to sharp volatility in global markets, didn’t materialise and since there is no timeline for a ruling such an event is unlikely to influence the market in the near-term.
“The market is likely to respond to the major Q3 results that will continue to flow in. Better-than-expected results will trigger stock-specific action but these are unlikely to take the market as a whole to significantly higher levels. Even minor rallies are likely to be neutralised by FII selling. The increasing short positions being built by FIIs indicate that sustained FII selling is likely to be the near-term trend, till such time we have a trend reversal triggered by positive news or events,” said Vijayakumar. For long-term investors, the directionless weak drift in the market provides opportunities to slowly accumulate high quality growth stocks available at fair valuations, said Vijayakumar.
Global Markets
Asian stocks moved higher on Friday as enthusiasm around artificial intelligence gathered fresh momentum. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.5%, hovering near a record reached in the previous session, after strong earnings from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reignited interest in the AI trade.
Sentiment was further supported by a trade agreement struck Thursday between the U.S. and Taiwan, which lowers tariffs on a range of exports from the semiconductor hub and channels new investment into the U.S. technology sector, an accord likely to draw objections from Beijing.
Overnight, U.S. markets closed higher, led by gains in technology and financial shares. Nasdaq futures added 0.22% in Asian trading, while S&P 500 futures edged up 0.15%.
Gold prices slipped, with spot bullion down 0.16% at $4,607.50 an ounce.
FII/DII Tracker
On the institutional front, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth a little over Rs 4,781 crore on January 14, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 5,217 crore.
Crude impact
Oil prices were little changed on Friday, with both Brent crude and U.S. West Texas Intermediate hovering near their prior closes as fears of a potential U.S. strike on Iran eased.
Brent slipped 3 cents, or 0.05%, to $63.73 a barrel, while WTI edged up 4 cents, or 0.07%, to $59.22 a barrel by 0223 GMT.
Earlier in the week, both benchmarks climbed to multi-month highs after protests erupted in Iran and comments from President Donald Trump raised concerns about possible U.S. military action against the country.
Rupee vs Dollar
The Indian rupee weakened at the open on Friday, slipping 0.1% to 90.3725 per dollar, after hawkish remarks from Federal Reserve officials lifted the U.S. currency. Traders said losses may be limited by signs of a narrowing trade deficit and expectations of support from the central bank.
U.S. Treasury yields climbed on Thursday, and interest-rate futures now indicate markets are not expecting the Federal Reserve to begin cutting rates until June 2026. The dollar index rose to 99.30.
(with inputs from agencies)