Gift Nifty Signals Flat Open for Sensex, Nifty on Friday as Asia Falls and Oil Eases

The near-month Gift Nifty contract was at 25,317.00 in Thursday’s trade, up 16.00 points, or 0.06 per cent, from its previous close of 25,301.00, after opening at 25,215.50 and swinging between 25,152.00 and 25,426.50. Against the Nifty 50’s close of 25,299.35, that is a premium of 17.65 points, or 0.07 per cent.

Oil is lower. Brent crude is at USD 91.88 a barrel, down 0.95 per cent, and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is at USD 85.65, down 1.02 per cent. Asia is weak. Taiwan fell 2.63 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.70 per cent and South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.61 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 1.26 per cent.

Thursday’s Close

Indian equity benchmarks ended marginally higher on Thursday after a volatile session, with the Sensex closing at 81,911.01, up 31.61 points, or 0.04 per cent, and the Nifty 50 settling at 25,299.35, up 44.30 points, or 0.18 per cent. Investors took a breather after a sharp rally, with profit booking in select heavyweights and elevated US bond yields capping gains. Market breadth was positive, with 2,377 shares advancing, 1,878 declining and 195 unchanged on the NSE.

Among Nifty 50 stocks, HDFC Life Insurance Company (HDFCLIFE), Bajaj Finance (BAJFINANCE), Shriram Finance (SHRIRAMFIN), SBI Life Insurance Company (SBILIFE) and State Bank of India (SBIN) were among the top gainers. Bajaj Finance rose 3.4 per cent after launching a share sale of more than USD 1 billion to institutional investors, while Shriram Finance gained 3.6 per cent and SBI 2.4 per cent. Nestle India (NESTLEIND) shed 2.1 per cent and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) fell 1.9 per cent.

The Nifty Realty index jumped 3.7 per cent, the Nifty Media index advanced 2.4 per cent and the Nifty PSU Bank index gained 1.4 per cent, while the Nifty Bank rose 1 per cent. The Nifty Auto index fell 1 per cent, FMCG slipped 0.88 per cent, Oil & Gas lost 0.76 per cent and the Nifty IT index declined 0.4 per cent. The Nifty Smallcap index rose 1.1 per cent and the Nifty Midcap index gained 0.9 per cent.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought Indian equities worth Rs 12,563 crore on Wednesday, taking their November net purchases to USD 6.43 billion, the strongest monthly buying since September 2024. The rupee weakened 34 paise to 94.03 against the dollar, while the US 10-year Treasury yield hovered near 4.99 per cent.

Asian Stocks

Asian stocks fell on Thursday, with Taiwan down 2.63 per cent at 43,091.87 and Shenzhen down 1.68 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.70 per cent to 60,819.36, Shanghai fell 0.67 per cent, South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.61 per cent to 5,342.73 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 1.26 per cent to 24,008.55. The SGX-CNBC China Growth index lost 1.79 per cent to 1,352.55, Malaysia fell 0.58 per cent and Singapore’s Straits Times eased 0.13 per cent to 5,282.70. Australia’s ASX 200 slipped 0.07 per cent, while New Zealand’s NZX 50 was the lone gainer, up 0.56 per cent at 14,259.23.

Oil Prices

Oil prices fell on Thursday, with Brent crude down USD 0.88, or 0.95 per cent, at USD 91.88 a barrel and WTI down USD 0.88, or 1.02 per cent, at USD 85.65, as hopes of progress in peace talks weighed on prices. Murban crude was quoted at USD 93.47 on November 12, up USD 1.53, or 1.66 per cent. Natural gas rose 2.24 per cent to USD 3.287, while heating oil slipped 0.14 per cent to USD 4.205. Lower prices ease India’s import bill, inflation and corporate input costs, though US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved to a military base after Iranian threats, Reuters reported.

Sources

•  nseix.com
• NSE data
• BSE data
• CNBC
• OilPrice.com
• Reuters.