The Indian stock market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are expected to open lower on Friday, following weak global market cues.
Asian markets traded mixed, while the US stock market ended mostly lower overnight, amid selling in technology stocks.
On Thursday, the Indian stock market ended choppy session on a mixed note, amid profit booking in select heavyweights.
The Sensex eased 27.46 points, or 0.03%, to close at 82,248.61, while the Nifty 50 settled 14.05 points, or 0.06%, higher at 25,496.55.
“We expect markets to remain range-bound amid a mixed global backdrop, with stock-specific action driven by domestic demand themes and policy-linked opportunities,” said Siddhartha Khemka – Head of Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd.
Here are key global market cues for Sensex today:
Asian Markets
Asian markets traded mixed on Friday, following overnight losses on Wall Street. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.6%, while the Topix traded flat. South Korea’s Kospi declined 1.1%, while the Kosdaq dropped 0.35%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures indicated a flat opening.
Gift Nifty Today
Gift Nifty was trading around 25,559 level, a discount of nearly 77 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a negative start for the Indian stock market indices.
Wall Street
US stock market ended mostly lower on Thursday, weighed down by selling in technology stocks, after Nvidia earnings failed to impress investors.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 17.05 points, or 0.03%, to 49,499.20, while the S&P 500 declined 37.27 points, or 0.54%, to 6,908.86. The Nasdaq Composite closed 273.69 points, or 1.18%, lower at 22,878.38.
Nvidia stock price cracked 5.49%, AMD shares declined 3.41%, Microsoft share price gained 0.28%, Apple stock price fell 0.47%, Amazon shares dropped 1.29%, Salesforce stock price rallied 3.91%, and Tesla stock price fell 2.11%.
Trade Desk shares slipped 4.8%, JM Smucker stock jumped 8.8%, C3.ai shares crashed 18.5%, and Celsius Holding share price surged 6.9%.
US-Iran Nuclear Talks
Iran said nuclear talks with the US progressed “very intensely and very seriously,” after they paused negotiations until early evening in Switzerland. The two countries started their third round of Omani-mediated discussions in Geneva on Thursday.
Sebi Circular
Sebi revised the valuation methodology for physical gold and silver held by mutual fund schemes, mandating the use of polled spot prices published by stock exchanges for calculating the worth. This will become effective from April 1, 2026.
Japan Factory Output
Japan’s factory output was up 2.2% in January from the previous month, worse than the median market forecast for a 5.3% rise. Manufacturers surveyed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expect seasonally adjusted output to fall 0.5% in February and decrease 2.6% in March.
Gold Rate Today
Gold prices steadied after the US and Iran agreed to prolong nuclear talks. Spot gold price was steady at $5,184.95 an ounce, silver prices fell 0.2% to $88.11 an ounce.
Crude Oil Prices
Crude oil prices traded lower after the US and Iran agreed to more nuclear talks next week. Brent crude oil price fell 0.35% to $70.50 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures declined 0.32% to $64.99.
(With inputs from Agencies)
