“Sensex Rises 200 Points, Nifty Above 25,500 Mark; Apollo Hospitals Soars 3%”

Markets Open July on a Positive Note; Sensex Gains, Apollo Hospitals Leads Surge

Indian equity markets kicked off the second half of calendar year 2025 on a firm footing, with early gains driven by select blue-chip stocks and resilient broader market sentiment. At open on Tuesday, the BSE Sensex rose by 124 points to trade around 83,730, up 0.15%, while the Nifty50 hovered near 25,515, holding steady despite early volatility.

Top Gainers and Sectoral Performance
Leading the gains on the Nifty50 were Apollo Hospitals (up 3.9%), Asian Paints, Bharat Electronics, Adani Enterprises, HCL Technologies, Dr. Reddy’s Labs, and Jio Financial Services, all advancing up to 4%.

In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap and SmallCap indices outperformed, adding 0.24% and 0.31% respectively — indicating healthy participation beyond frontline stocks.

Sector-wise:

Nifty Realty emerged as the top-performing sector, climbing 0.65%.

On the downside, Nifty Metal slipped 0.18%, making it the biggest sectoral laggard.

Macro Data: Industrial Output Disappoints
India’s latest Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data showed a sharp slowdown, rising just 1.2% in May — the weakest in nine months, down from a revised 2.6% in April.

Key drags:

Electricity generation fell 5.8%, its steepest drop since June 2020, attributed partly to the early onset of monsoons.

Mining output contracted 0.1% for the second straight month.

Manufacturing saw muted growth of 2.6%, with only 13 out of 23 sub-sectors reporting gains.

A high base from May 2024’s 6.3% growth also weighed on the year-on-year comparison.

Global Markets Mixed Amid Tariff Jitters
Asian markets offered a mixed picture as investors weighed record U.S. stock gains against uncertainty surrounding global trade policy. The focus remains on U.S. President Donald Trump’s 90-day tariff reprieve, which is set to expire next week.

Key regional moves:

Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.87% after hitting an 11-month high.

Topix was down 0.52%.

South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.83%, buoyed by tech-led optimism.

Australia’s ASX 200 rose 0.15%.

Hong Kong markets remained shut for a public holiday.

In the U.S., futures dipped slightly during early Asian hours after a strong close on Monday:

S&P 500 gained 0.52% to 6,204.95

Nasdaq advanced 0.47% to 20,369.73

Dow Jones climbed 275.50 points (0.63%) to 44,094.77

A contributing factor to Wall Street’s rally was Canada’s withdrawal of its digital services tax, easing tensions with Washington after Trump abruptly ended trade talks with Ottawa. The tax, which was set to take effect Monday, would have targeted major U.S. tech firms.