Indian markets open sharply higher on positive global cues; Sensex up 650 points, Nifty above 175 points

NEW DELHI: Indian benchmark equity indices opened sharply higher on Wednesday, tracking positive global cues as investors reacted to easing crude oil prices, firm Asian markets, and the implementation of new US tariff measures that were largely in line with market expectations. The BSE Sensex opened at 77,419.74, rising 653.82 points, or 0.85 per cent, while the NSE Nifty 50 gained 175.60 points, or 0.73 per cent, to open at 24,160.95.

The strong opening comes amid shifts in global commodity prices and the rollout of fresh tariff measures, with investors closely monitoring their impact on trade and market sentiment.

The broader Asian markets displayed significant divergence across indices. The Hang Seng gained 1.37 per cent to stand at 25,657.00, GIFT NIFTY rose 0.62 per cent to 24,240.50, and the Straits Times edged up 0.42 per cent to 5,639.53. On the downside, South Korea’s KOSPI experienced a sharp drop of 8.90 per cent to 5,531.56, followed by the Taiwan Weighted index dropping 3.74 per cent to 40,047.65 and Japan’s Nikkei 225 falling 2.02 per cent to 61,105.00.

Commenting on global conditions, Ajay Bagga, banking and market expert, said: “Global equity markets are reeling from a massive sell-off in AI and semiconductor stocks that accelerated yesterday, July 28. Investors are growing increasingly cautious about the realistic returns on heavy AI infrastructure investments.”

US markets showed a mixed picture, with Dow Jones Futures trading down at 52,675.91, down 71.41 points, and the Nasdaq declining to 24,876.91, down 55.17 points. The S&P 500 posted modest gains, reaching 7,428.78, up 15.60 points or 0.21 per cent.

“New 10-12.5% tariffs on roughly 60 trading partners covering 99.4% of US imports took effect July 24, replacing the expired blanket 10% levy the Supreme Court struck down earlier this year,” Bagga said. “Separately, Washington has laid on 50% tariffs on select Canadian goods and 25% on Brazilian imports. The administration insists trade policy will not be constrained by the courts,” he added.

Highlighting the geopolitical developments and their impact on crude oil trends, Bagga noted that after weeks of on-off hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz, a pause in US-Iran fighting has eased oil prices and lifted hopes of a fresh ceasefire. “Brent has retreated from a brief spike above $100/barrel during the worst of the flare-up to the mid-USD 80s, on the back of the peace talks. This is providing relief on the inflation front just as the Fed deliberates.”

At the time of reporting, Brent Crude rose 4.17 per cent to USD 87.59 per barrel, and Crude Oil jumped 4.07 per cent to USD 82.48 per barrel. Meanwhile, Gold remained nearly unchanged, down just 0.03 per cent to stand at USD 4,027.19. “July was a market that went nowhere on the scoreboard but everywhere in between — geopolitics wrote the script, and Indian retail money kept the market standing,” Bagga stated.

Providing a technical perspective on the indices, Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities, stated that a sustained move above 24,050 (77,000) could trigger fresh buying momentum, paving the way for a rally toward 24,150-24,200 (77,300-77,500).

“Use the ongoing pullback to reduce weak long positions in the 24,100-24,200 zone. Fresh buying should be considered selectively on declines toward the 23,800-23,700 support area, where the risk-reward profile appears more favourable,” Chouhan advised. (ANI)