The domestic benchmark indices opened in green on Thursday amid mixed global cues, as selling was seen in the auto sector in the early trade.

At around 9.26 am, Sensex was trading 112.96 points or 0.15 per cent up at 77,401.46 while the Nifty added 28.20 points or 0.12 per cent at 23,515.05

Nifty Bank was up 80.55 points or 0.16 per cent at 51,289.55. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 51,605.10 after declining 41.05 points or 0.08 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 15,891.85 after declining 44.90 points or 0.28 per cent.

According to market watchers, Nifty has broken the steep rising trend line. On the hourly chart, it is possibly forming a flag pattern.

"40HEMA and lower end of flag pattern are almost at the same level. 40HEMA at 23390 will be an important support level to watch out for on the way down," said Vikram Kasat, Head-Advisory, PL Capital.

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) on Wednesday said it has achieved notable improvements in multiple categories in the latest edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 37), along with securing top rank in the ‘Reputational Advantage’ category.

GIFT City also climbed from 45th to 40th in the FinTech ranking, and improved its overall ranking from 52nd to 46th place, making significant strides in establishing itself as a premier international financial centre.

Additionally, India’s first operational smart city also retained its position among the top 15 financial centres in the Asia-Pacific region.

“GIFT City's continued rise in the GFCI rankings is a reflection of India's growing influence in global finance. Our top ranking in Reputational Advantage, significant improvement in FinTech, and strong overall performance reinforce the confidence of global investors and businesses in GIFT City,” said Tapan Ray, Managing Director and Group CEO of GIFT City.

After seven consecutive sessions of gains, the Indian stock markets ended lower on Wednesday as investors booked profits across sectors.

Sensex fell by 728.69 points, or 0.93 per cent, to close at 77,288.50. During the session, the index fluctuated between an intra-day high of 78,167.87 and a low of 77,194.22.

Nifty also declined, settling 181 points lower at 23,486.85, down 0.77 per cent. The index had touched an intra-day high of 23,736.50 before slipping to a low of 23,451.70.

"On the smaller time frame, the Nifty index has dropped below the near-term moving average,” said Rupak De of LKP Securities. On the lower end, support is placed at 23,300, up to which the current decline might extend.

With the United States shifting its economic stance, emerging markets are poised for a significant rally, and India stands to gain the most with robust foreign institutional investors (FII) inflows returning into its markets, a new report said on Wednesday.

There is a paradigm shift in global economic dynamics driven by the US administration’s evolving fiscal and monetary policies.

This transformation will shape investment opportunities, urging investors to navigate the changing landscape with strategic foresight,” said Emkay Global Financial Services in its ‘India Strategy Report’.

As capital moves away from dollar assets, India’s strong economic fundamentals, supportive policy environment, and attractive valuations position it as a prime beneficiary of global capital flows, the report noted.

India’s markets are set to extend their 4.5 per cent rally, fuelled by strong foreign institutional investor (FII) inflows.

The recent amendments in priority sector lending (PSL) guidelines by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should further help the economy grow faster and fine tune the building blocks of the factors of productions, mainly the MSMEs, agri and allied sectors, housing and exports, etc, a report by SBI Research said on Wednesday.

The RBI this week issued revised guidelines on PSL to facilitate better targeting of bank credit to the priority sectors of the economy. The new guidelines will come into effect from April 1.

According to the report, the revised PSL guidelines cater to enhancement of several loan limits, including housing loans, for enhanced PSL coverage and broadening of the purposes based on which loans may be classified under ‘Renewable Energy’.

The domestic benchmark indices opened flat on Wednesday amid positive global cues, as buying was seen in the realty sector in the early trade.

At around 9.29 am, Sensex was trading 78.19 points or 0.10 per cent up at 78,095.38 while the Nifty added 46.80 points or 0.20 per cent at 23,715.45.

Nifty Bank was up 50.35 points or 0.10 per cent at 51,658.30. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 52,082.25 after adding 112.50 points or 0.22 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 16,088.95 after declining 19.95 points or 0.12 per cent.

According to market watchers, Nifty tried to break above the previous high of 23,807 but could not sustain above it.

"The hourly high of 23,869 will be an important swing high in the near term. Closing above 23,869 can push Nifty higher to 24,220. Overall trend shall remain bullish as Nifty trading above 40HEMA 23,323,” said Vikram Kasat, Head-Advisory, PL Capital.

The salaries of Central government employees may increase by Rs 14,000 to Rs 19,000 per month after the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission report, according to a report by Goldman Sachs on Tuesday.

The global financial services firm stated that around 50 lakh Central government employees and 65 lakh pensioners are expected to benefit from the pay revision.

The commission is likely to be formed in April, with its recommendations expected to be implemented in 2026 or 2027.

Goldman Sachs conducted an analysis to estimate the salary hike.

Currently, central government employees earn a median monthly salary of Rs 1 lakh before tax.

The Indian stock market on Tuesday managed to stay in the green for the seventh straight session, though it gave up most of its early gains during volatile trade.

The Sensex, which touched an intra-day high of 78,741.69, eventually closed at 78,017.19, rising 32.81 points or 0.04 per cent.

Similarly, the Nifty settled almost flat at 23,668.65, gaining only 10.30 points or 0.04 per cent. During the session, the Nifty traded within a range of 23,869.60 to 23,627.55.

Despite the slight gains in the indices, market sentiment remained weak, with a majority of stocks witnessing selling pressure.

The total number of refills of LPG cylinders by poor households under the PM Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) have doubled in the past five years and the per capita consumption of PMUY beneficiaries has risen to nearly four-and-a-half cylinders per year, according to information tabled in the Parliament.

As on March 1, 2025, there are 10.33 crore PMUY connections across the country. The refill cylinders under the scheme have doubled in five years. As many as 41.95 crore refills were delivered in 11 months of the current financial year (FY25) till February, up from 39.38 crore refills in the 12 months of 2023-24 marking the success of the scheme, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas informed the Parliament.

The number of refills in 2019-20 stood at 22.80 crore, showing a nearly 100 per cent jump in this FY from five years ago.

Showing a resilient economy in the Asia-Pacific region amid global uncertainties, India’s GDP will grow at 6.5 per cent in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, S&P Global Ratings said on Tuesday.

This assumes the upcoming monsoon season will be normal and that commodity — especially crude — prices will be soft,” said the global financial institution in its latest quarterly economic update for Asia-Pacific economies.

“Cooling food inflation, the tax benefits announced in the country’s budget for the fiscal year ending March 2026, and lower borrowing costs will support discretionary consumption,” it added.

As tariffs tend to be levied on goods, trade will be more resilient in economies where a substantial share of exports is of services. This is the case for the Philippines and, especially, India.