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Indian benchmark indices opened higher on Friday, supported by global cues, but are set to end the week lower for a third straight session
Sensex
Equity benchmark indices put up a strong showing on Friday, supported by steady buying in heavyweight stocks such as Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank. Market sentiment was further buoyed by the upbeat listing of ICICI Prudential AMC and a pullback in the Indian rupee.
The BSE Sensex opened with a positive gap of about 275 points and climbed to an intraday high of 85,067.50 before settling 447.55 points, or 0.5 per cent higher, at 84,929.
The NSE Nifty50 touched a day’s high of 25,993 and ended the session up 151 points at 25,966.
Bharat Electronics (BEL), Power Grid Corporation and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) emerged as the top Sensex gainers, rising more than 2 per cent each. Asian Paints, Reliance Industries, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserve and Infosys also advanced around 1 per cent apiece.
On the downside, HCL Technologies slipped 1 per cent, while Kotak Bank, ICICI Bank and TCS were the only other Sensex stocks to close in the red.
The broader market outperformed, with the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices jumping around 1.3 per cent each. Market breadth remained firmly positive, with nearly two advancing stocks for every decliner on the BSE.
ICICI Prudential AMC hit an intraday high of ₹2,662 and ended its debut session with a 19 per cent premium to its issue price, closing at ₹2,576.
In other key developments, Shriram Finance rallied as much as 5 per cent after announcing definitive agreements with MUFG Bank for an investment of ₹39,618 crore through the sale of a 20 per cent stake.
Meanwhile, the Indian rupee ended on a strong note at 89.25 against the US dollar, supported by a late-session surge.
Global cues
Asia-Pacific markets advanced on Friday as investors awaited the Bank of Japan’s policy decision due later in the day. The central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates to 0.75 per cent—the highest level since 1995—with LSEG data showing an 86.4 per cent probability of a hike. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.56 per cent, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.52 per cent in early trade, while South Korea’s Kospi climbed 0.68 per cent.
Overnight, Wall Street ended higher. The broader S&P 500 snapped a four-day losing streak on Thursday, rising 0.79 per cent. The gains were driven by softer-than-expected inflation data, which bolstered expectations of potential interest rate cuts in 2026, along with strong guidance from chipmaker Micron Technology. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.38 per cent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.14 per cent.
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December 19, 2025, 09:20 IST
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