Today's stock market: The Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, India's equity benchmark indices, opened flat on Thursday. While the Nifty50 was above 25,500, the BSE Sensex was in the red. The Nifty50 was trading at 25,512.65, up 59 points, or 0.23%. The BSE Sensex was at 83,628.19, down 69 points (0.083%).

Key Highlights

• Nifty 50 edged up 0.4% to ~25,555, while Sensex added 0.41%, reaching ~83,752 amid trade optimism.
• Auto stocks led gains (+1.1%), banks rallied 0.7–1%, but PSU banks and retail stocks lagged. 

VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments Limited, believes the Nifty will continue to trade in the 25200-25800 range until a trigger breaks the range. A possible India-US trade agreement, which is expected to be announced in the coming days, could be a positive catalyst. The US-Vietnam trade agreement demonstrates the US administration's eagerness to strike as many trade deals as possible, as deals with the EU and Japan appear unlikely soon."

"Some recent data from the United States show bad news on the jobs front. This could lead to more capital outflows from the US and further weakening of the dollar, which has already fallen by more than 10% this year. This is good news for emerging economies like India. However, the challenge is India's tepid earnings growth, with only modest earnings growth expected in FY26. Given the weak micros and high valuations, the market will struggle to break out above the upper end of the range."

Also Read: Indian Stock Market Opens Strong, Nifty Surges Above 25,500 Mark

Asian markets rose modestly ahead of US employment data, while US stocks reached new highs following Trump's announcement of a trade agreement with Vietnam. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached new highs on Wednesday, boosted by advances in technology stocks and a trade agreement between the United States and Vietnam that eased concerns about prolonged trade friction.

Gold prices fell on Thursday following the US-Vietnam trade agreement, which eased tensions. Investors remained focused on upcoming US employment data for clues about the Federal Reserve's policy direction.

Oil prices fell on Thursday, reversing the previous day's gains, due to concerns about weak US consumption following official data showing an unexpected increase in stockpiles in the world's largest crude-consuming country.