Nifty gains 0.5 pc, Sensex jumps 470 pts in opening on easing AI concerns; uncertainty persists amid tariffs

MUMBAI: Stock markets globally, including India, rebounded on Wednesday at the opening session as equities recovered from the oversold category and eased concerns related to artificial intelligence (AI), although uncertainty continues due to global developments.

In India, benchmark indices opened in positive territory. The Nifty 50 index opened at 25,512.60 with a gain of 87.95 points or 0.35 per cent, while the BSE Sensex opened at 82,530.22, rising by 304.30 points or 0.37 per cent. Market experts highlighted that global cues and upcoming developments, including US President Donald Trump’s speech, could influence sentiment further.

Ajay Bagga, a banking and market expert, said, “Indian stock futures are pointing to a positive open, but Trump’s speech over the next hour could change the market sentiment globally either way. March series starts on the NSE with global sentiment impacted by the AI scare trade, US tariff chaos, Iranian conflict looming, and a brewing private credit crisis under the hood in the US”.

He added that US markets rebounded as concerns over AI eased and optimism returned towards US technology stocks. “US markets bounced back as the AI scare trade gave way to a hope trade on US tech stocks. The big event today is the State of the Union address by President Trump. The backdrop will be falling approval ratings for the Trump administration’s economic policies, with the Iranian tensions adding to the uncertainty of tariff chaos, government shutdown, and policy volatility”, Bagga said.

In global markets, US stocks closed higher on Tuesday. The Dow Jones index gained 370 points to close at 49,174.50, while the Nasdaq jumped more than 1 per cent or 244 points to close at 22,871. The S&P 500 index also rose by 54 points or 0.79 per cent to close at 6,892 points. Shares of IBM also rebounded, gaining 2.67 per cent to close at USD 229.32 per share on the NYSE.

In domestic markets, all sectoral indices on the NSE opened with gains. The Nifty IT index rose 0.97 per cent, Nifty Metal gained 0.89 per cent, Nifty FMCG increased 0.40 per cent, Nifty PSU Bank climbed 0.31 per cent, and Nifty Pharma advanced 0.24 per cent.

Meanwhile, precious metals continued to remain elevated. Gold prices in India stood at Rs 160,750 per 10 grams for 24 karat gold, registering a gain of 0.5 per cent on Wednesday. Silver prices also surged more than 2 per cent to Rs 265,981 per kilogram.

Experts noted that Asian markets are up on the back of the US Big Tech rebound, with the Korean market leading gains following a 43 per cent rise in less than 2 months of 2026.

Asian markets also showed strong gains on Wednesday morning, supported by the rebound in US technology stocks. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.61 per cent, gaining 923 points to reach 58,245. Taiwan’s weighted index rose 700 points or 2 per cent to 35,496. South Korea’s KOSPI index gained more than 2 per cent, rising by 122 points to 6,092.99, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 0.81 per cent or 241 points to 26,832. (ANI)