Markets Open Mixed: Sensex Rises 82 Points, Nifty Below 25,500; Bajaj Finance Jumps 2%

Markets Open Flat; Nifty Below 25,500, Bajaj Twins Lead Gains.

Indian benchmark indices opened slightly higher on Friday, supported by gains in FMCG and financial stocks, though overall market sentiment remained cautious amid a lack of fresh domestic or global triggers.

At 9:22 AM, the BSE Sensex rose 46.97 points to 83,286.44, while the Nifty50 inched up 14.45 points to 25,419.75, staying below the key 25,500 mark.

“The market continues to trade in a narrow 25,200–25,800 range. This resilience is backed by record highs in US indices like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, and strong domestic institutional inflows,” said Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

Top Gainers & Losers
Bajaj Finance surged 2.04%, emerging as the top Nifty gainer, followed by Bajaj Finserv (+1.70%), Bharat Electronics (+1.11%), Hindustan Unilever (+0.66%), and HDFC Bank (+0.58%).

On the flip side, Trent plunged 7.50%, leading the laggards. Tata Steel (-1.12%), Tech Mahindra (-0.92%), Maruti Suzuki (-0.42%), and Asian Paints (-0.25%) also traded in the red.

Sectoral Performance
Markets showed a mixed trend across sectors:

Gainers:

Nifty Realty (+0.46%)

Nifty FMCG (+0.25%)

Financial Services, Media, Pharma, and Healthcare posted modest gains.

Losers:

Nifty Metal (-0.30%)

IT (-0.17%)

Auto (-0.15%)

Private Bank (-0.13%)

Meanwhile, India VIX rose 0.94%, indicating a slight rise in market volatility.

Outlook: Eyes on Q1 Earnings
According to Vijayakumar, the market’s upside is currently constrained by muted earnings growth expectations for FY26.

“Q1 results will provide crucial direction. Outperformance is expected to be stock-specific—autos may post lukewarm numbers, but companies like TVS, Eicher, and M&M could surprise. Similarly, in financials, Bajaj Finance and Shriram Finance may beat the trend,” he noted.

With earnings season approaching, investor focus is likely to shift toward company fundamentals rather than broader sectoral momentum.