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Sensex, Nifty trade tad higher led by gains in metal stocks
Dec-29-2025

Indian equity benchmarks made a cautious start on Monday ahead of release of India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data for the month of November to be out later in the day. Sensex and Nifty were trading tad higher in early deals on account of buying in Metal stocks. Some encouragement came as Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Jitendra Singh underscored acceleration of technology transfer to upscale India’s industrial engagement. However, the trading activity remained low ahead of Tuesday’s monthly F&O expiry. Also, year-end holidays kept volumes in the markets subdued. On the sectoral front, metals stocks traded higher with silver trading lower after breaching $80 per ounce earlier in the deals and rising copper prices as easing geopolitical tensions cooled safe-haven demand.

On the global front, Asian markets traded mostly higher with trading volumes still remaining mostly thin as the market enters the final phase of the year. The mood is cautious amid a lack of fresh economic and corporate news.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 85142.56, up by 101.11 points or 0.12% after trading in a range of 84992.82 and 85250.00. There were 18 stocks advancing against 12 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in green; the BSE Mid cap index rose 0.26%, while Small cap index was up by 0.12%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Metal up by 1.35%, Basic Materials up by 0.81%, Telecom up by 0.51%, Capital Goods up by 0.51% and Consumer Durables up by 0.50%, while Utilities down by 0.20% and Healthcare down by 0.03% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Tata Steel up by 2.31%, Eternal up by 1.23%, Tech Mahindra up by 0.91%, Bharat Electronics up by 0.65% and Asian Paints up by 0.55%. On the flip side, Adani Ports & SEZ down by 1.13%, Power Grid down by 0.72%, Axis Bank down by 0.61%, Bajaj Finserv down by 0.60% and Ultratech Cement down by 0.24% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, expressing optimism over India’s growth foreign direct investments (FDI) inflows, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia has expressed hopes that in year 2026, FDI likely to cross the last year's all-time high of $80.62 billion. The growth in FDI likely to be supported by strong macroeconomic fundamentals, big-ticket investment announcements, sustained efforts to improve the ease of doing business, and a new generation of investment-linked trade pacts. He noted that in the last eleven years, the country attracted remarkable investments on account of a series of measures taken by the government.

With an aim to ensure that India remains an attractive and investor-friendly destination, the government reviews the FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) policy on an ongoing basis and makes changes from time to time after holding extensive consultations with stakeholders. The DPIIT has this year held a series of meetings with stakeholders on ways to promote FDI. In November, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also held consultations on ways to attract greater investments by making processes faster, smoother, and more efficient. Investor-friendly policies and regulatory practices, strong return on investments, a talented workforce, easing compliance burdens, decriminalising minor industry-related offences, and streamlined approvals are key measures that are keeping foreign investors focused on India despite global challenges.

India is also banking on its free trade agreement with the four-nation European Free Trade Association (EFTA), under which the bloc has committed to invest $100 billion in foreign direct investment into the country over 15 years. The pact came into force on October 1, 2025, and on the very day of its implementation, Swiss healthcare major Roche Pharma announced a commitment to invest 1.5 billion Swiss francs (about Rs 17,000 crore) in India over the next five years. This will be pure FDI and not foreign institutional or portfolio investments by sovereign wealth funds of the EFTA nations - Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. A similar commitment of $20 billion has been made by New Zealand under its trade pact with India, which is slated to be implemented in 2026.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 26077.05, up by 34.75 points or 0.13% after trading in a range of 26044.15 and 26106.80. There were 31 stocks advancing against 19 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Tata Steel up by 2.52%, JSW Steel up by 1.14%, Eternal up by 1.10%, Tech Mahindra up by 0.84% and Hindalco up by 0.77%. On the flip side, Adani Ports & SEZ down by 1.10%, Power Grid down by 0.72%, Axis Bank down by 0.62%, Bajaj Finserv down by 0.52% and Shriram Finance down by 0.22% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Taiwan Weighted jumped 267.47 points or 0.94% to 28,823.49, Hang Seng surged 106.07 points or 0.41% to 25,925.00, KOSPI increased 80.14 points or 1.94% to 4,209.82, Jakarta Composite gained 64.42 points or 0.75% to 8,602.33, Shanghai Composite strengthened 12.24 points or 0.31% to 3,975.92 and Straits Times was up by 2.12 points or 0.05% to 4,638.27, while Nikkei 225 slipped 95.39 points or 0.19% to 50,655.00.
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