Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmark indices, started trade on a flat note on Thursday. While Nifty50 was above 25,500, BSE Sensex was in red. At 9:18 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 25,512.65, up 59 points or 0.23%. BSE Sensex was at 83,628.19, down 69 points or 0.083%.VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “Nifty is likely to trade in the 25200-25800 range for some more time till a trigger breaks the range. A positive trigger can come from a possible India-US trade deal to be announced in a few days. The US-Vietnam trade deal indicates the eagerness of the US administration to strike as many trade deals as possible since deals with EU and Japan appear unlikely soon.” “Some recent data from the US indicate negative news on the jobs front. This can trigger more capital outflows from the US and further weakening of the dollar, which has already depreciated by more than 10% this year. This is good news for EMs like India. But the challenge is the tepid earnings growth in India and indications of only modest earnings growth in FY26. Given the weak micros and high valuations, the market will face hurdles in its attempt to break out above the upper end of the range.”Asian markets showed modest gains ahead of US employment data, following US stocks reaching new highs after Trump’s announcement of a Vietnamese trade agreement.The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached unprecedented levels on Wednesday, driven by advances in technology shares and a trade accord between the US and Vietnam, which reduced anxieties about extended trade friction.Gold prices decreased on Thursday following the US-Vietnam trade agreement that alleviated tensions. Investors remained focused on upcoming US employment figures for insights into the Federal Reserve’s policy direction.Oil prices declined on Thursday, reversing previous day’s increases, due to concerns regarding weak US consumption after official data indicated an unexpected increase in stockpiles in the largest crude-consuming nation.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market and other asset classes given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
