Indian benchmark indices traded in the green in early trade on Wednesday, the final trading day of the year.
At around 9.30 a.m., the Sensex was up 167 points, or 0.20 per cent, at 84,872, while the Nifty gained 67 points, or 0.26 per cent, to trade at 26,005.
The broader markets moved in line with the benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 100 rising 0.55 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 100 gaining 0.58 per cent.
Among sectoral indices, Nifty Metal emerged as the top gainer, up 1.33 per cent, followed by Nifty Chemicals, which added 1.09 per cent, and Nifty PSU Bank, which rose 0.79 per cent.
Immediate support for the Nifty is seen in the 25,750–25,800 zone, while resistance is placed near the 26,050–26,100 levels, analysts said.
They added that while the market has the potential to move higher, sustained selling by foreign institutional investors and the absence of fresh triggers, such as developments on the US-India trade front, continue to weigh on sentiment.
Investors are awaiting cues from December auto sales data, third-quarter corporate earnings, budget-related expectations, and possible action by the US Federal Reserve in 2026. Traders remain hopeful of an earnings rebound in the coming year, market watchers said.
Asia-Pacific markets mostly traded lower in the morning session on the holiday-shortened and final trading day of the year.
In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index slipped 0.07 per cent, while the Shenzhen index declined 0.67 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.37 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 1.12 per cent, and South Korea’s Kospi was down 0.15 per cent.
US markets ended in the red in the previous session, with the Nasdaq declining 0.24 per cent, the S&P 500 easing 0.14 per cent, and the Dow Jones slipping 0.2 per cent.
On December 30, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 3,844 crore, while domestic institutional investors were net buyers, purchasing equities worth Rs 6,160 crore.
—IANS
