Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmark indices, opened in green on Thursday. While Nifty50 was near 26,100, BSE Sensex was up over 150 points. At 9:18 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 26,095.80, up 43 points or 0.17%. BSE Sensex was at 85,346.62, up 160 points or 0.19%.Market experts anticipate a steady upward trajectory, whilst maintaining caution as global economic data emerges and markets await the completion of the first phase of the India-US trade agreement.Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “The bullish trend in the market is likely to sustain aided by positive triggers. At the fundamental level the picture of ‘strong macros but weak micros’ at the beginning of the year is changing to ‘ strong macros and improving micros’. This fundamental support is aided by the change in perception towards India by leading global banks who now consider India fairly valued and buyable in the context of a resilient economy and improving corporate earnings. The weakening AI trade is another positive for India which can be regarded as an anti-AI trade. FIIs turning buyers in the cash market yesterday is a reflection of this changing perception towards India.” “In the market, this is likely to manifest in preference for and outperformance of largecaps, particularly over small caps whose valuations are hard to justify even after the correction. Bank Nifty, despite the recent run up, has more room to rally since fundamentals and valuations are supportive.”Asian equities moved higher, with the Nikkei 225 advancing 3.7% whilst South Korea’s Kospi, leading the AI sector and amongst this year’s best performers, rose 2.5%. Bitcoin traded above $92,000 amidst improved market sentiment.US equities concluded a volatile session with gains on Wednesday, recovering from recent declines as technology shares advanced prior to Nvidia’s earnings report.Foreign portfolio investors purchased shares worth Rs 1,580 crore net on Wednesday. Domestic institutional investors were net buyers, investing Rs 1360 crore.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

With bullish underlying factors, gold prices in Pakistan climbed on Wednesday, tracking a sharp rise in the international market, where the precious metal gained more than 1% as investors turned to safe-haven assets ahead of crucial US economic data releases.

According to the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA), the price of gold per tola rose by Rs7,900 to Rs431,562. The rate for 10 grams increased by Rs6,773, closing at Rs369,994. The increase comes a day after prices fell sharply, with the per-tola rate declining by Rs7,000 to Rs423,662 on Tuesday.

Internationally, gold surged as markets awaited two major triggers – the release of the US Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes scheduled for late Wednesday night and the delayed US employment data expected on Thursday. Both indicators are seen as key determinants of the Fed’s policy direction and could sway investor sentiment significantly.

“Safe haven is undergoing fluctuations these days, but with bullish underlying factors,” said Adnan Agar, Director at Interactive Commodities, noting that gold was moving within critical technical levels and was showing heightened volatility. “Gold is fluctuating. Right now, it has a very ‘strong level’ of around $4,160. If it breaks and closes above that, there is a very high chance gold will head towards a new high,” he said. “If it fails to close above that mark and the market comes down again, it could return towards $4,050 or even $4,000.”

Agar added that the $4,000 mark acts as a strong support zone, both technically and psychologically, given its round-number significance. He also highlighted strong physical demand from China as a major factor preventing a deeper correction in global prices.

“There is a lot of demand for physical gold from China. Chinese investors and the general public are buying and China itself is also accumulating gold. Under normal circumstances, a $400-500 correction should have occurred by now, but strong physical demand has held the market up,” he noted.

The Russian central bank said on Wednesday that its sales and purchases of gold in the domestic market for the budget reserve, the National Wealth Fund, had been increasing in recent years due to the enhanced liquidity of gold, according to Reuters.

The Pakistani rupee marginally strengthened against the US dollar in the inter-bank market on Wednesday, closing at 280.66 after gaining Rs0.01 from Tuesday’s close at 280.67.

MUMBAI: Beginning Jan 2026, a PSB alliance digital platform for lending to small business will start functioning at scale opening up a new avenue for MSME financing. The platform will allow any fintech or entity that serves MSMEs, including dealers, to plug in and provide a financing interface for small businesses. At the other end, 12 public sector banks will provide digital loans to these enterprises.Speaking to TOI, Sorabh Dhawan, CEO of PSB Xchange, said the platform aims to disburse Rs 3 lakh crore of loans by 2030.PSB Xchange is designed as a multi-lender system connecting corporates and their channel partners with banks, NBFCs and fintechs. “Created by PSB Alliance in partnership with Veefin Solutions, it enables digital credit delivery across the country. This is the first time India’s largest lenders are coming together on a common exchange to serve MSMEs,” Dhawan said.“I have spent most of my 18-year banking career underwriting and financing MSMEs, and I have seen first-hand the strength and potential of this segment. Supply chain finance can unlock that potential at scale, and I believe PSB Xchange will play a decisive role in transforming access to working capital,” he said.He said that at present only 14-15% of MSMEs currently access formal financing. “Our objective is to expand this coverage and make capital available at competitive rates. By onboarding fintechs, corporates, dealers, distributors, suppliers and lenders on a single platform, we ensure MSMEs can access funds at sub-10% rates, instead of relying on high-cost credit,” he said.Dhawan said the platform has around 70 sourcing partners live and can be used by nearly 9,900 fintechs in the country without integrating individually with each bank.