Last Updated:September 12, 2025, 10:11 IST

A firm opening is expected for Indian equities on Friday, supported by strong global cues and rising optimism of a US Federal Reserve rate cut next week

Sensex Today

Sensex Today: Indian equities opened higher on Friday, lifted by strong buying in IT stocks. Infosys led the charge with a 1.6 per cent gain in early trade, while TCS, Tech Mahindra, and HCLTech also advanced.

Auto, banking, and industrial names added to the momentum, with Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, BEL, L&T, Tata Steel, and Axis Bank among the top gainers on the benchmark indices.

At 9:30 am, the BSE Sensex was up 195 points, or 0.24 per cent, at 81,743, while the NSE Nifty50 gained 71 points, or 0.28 per cent, to 25,076.

In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap index rose 0.46 per cent and the Nifty SmallCap index added 0.33 per cent. Sectorally, Nifty IT topped the charts with a 0.74 per cent rise, while Nifty FMCG slipped 0.24 per cent to emerge as the only notable laggard.

Global Cues

Across Asia, markets tracked Wall Street’s rally. Mainland China’s CSI 300 inched up 0.01 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 1.65 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.56 per cent, and South Korea’s KOSPI gained 1.15 per cent.

Overnight, US stocks ended at record highs. The Dow Jones advanced 1.36 per cent, the Nasdaq climbed 0.72 per cent, and the S&P 500 added 0.85 per cent.

On the macro front, US data showed consumer prices rose 0.4 per cent month-on-month in August, above the 0.3 per cent forecast in a Dow Jones poll. Year-on-year, CPI matched estimates at 2.9 per cent. However, the inflation print was overshadowed by a surge in jobless claims, which jumped to 263,000 for the week ended September 6 — the highest since October 2021 and well above expectations of 235,000.

Back in India, Infosys will be in focus after its board cleared a Rs 18,000 crore share buyback at Rs 1,800 per share, covering 10 crore shares, or 2.41 per cent of its equity.

Aparna Deb

Aparna Deb is a Subeditor and writes for the business vertical of News18.com. She has a nose for news that matters. She is inquisitive and curious about things. Among other things, financial markets, economy, a…Read More

Aparna Deb is a Subeditor and writes for the business vertical of News18.com. She has a nose for news that matters. She is inquisitive and curious about things. Among other things, financial markets, economy, a… Read More

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The Donald Trump administration wants to ‘pull India’ to its side, away from China, according to Sergio Gor, nominee as the next US Ambassador to India. In a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Gor said that India and the US are on track to resolve trade related disputes.“… While we (India-US) might have our moment of hiccups right now, we are on the track of resolving that. Our relationship with the Indian government and the Indian people extends many more decades, and it’s a much warmer relationship than they have with the Chinese,” he said.“Chinese expansionism is not just on the border with India, it’s all over the area… We will make it a top priority that India is pulled into our side and away from them.” he added.Also Read | ’Not far apart on tariff deal’: Trump’s India ambassador nominee says issues to be resolved ‘in weeks’; calls India a strategic partnerOn the issue of India’s procurement of Russia’s crude oil, Gor said, “… President Trump has made it crystal clear that India must stop buying Russian oil… India has been on our side on various issues within BRICS. Several countries within BRICS have pushed for years to move away from the US Dollar. India has been the stopgap for that. India is much more willing and open to engage with us than with those other nations in BRICS.”Gor’s remarks come at a time when Trump and PM Modi have signalled willingness to sort out the trade deal related issues at the earliest. Trump has imposed a total of 50% tariff on India – 25% reciprocal tariffs and 25% additional tariffs for India’s crude oil trade with Russia.

India-US trade deal

Talking about the India-US trade deal discussions he said, “In the ongoing trade talks, we want the Indian market to open for our crude oil, petroleum products, and LNG… India’s middle class is larger than the entire US…” Sergio also said, “Our President has a deep friendship with Prime Minister Modi, which is unique. If you’ve noticed, when he goes after other nations, he tends to go after their leaders for putting us in that position and for the United States imposing those tariffs. When the President has been critical of India, he goes out of his way to compliment Modi. They have an incredible relationship.”Also Read | ‘We are going to sort out with India’: US commerce secretary confident of trade deal; wants a stop on Russian oil purchaseSergio Gor said, “India is a strategic partner whose trajectory will shape the region and beyond… India’s geographic position, economic growth, and military capabilities make it a cornerstone of regional stability and a critical part of promoting prosperity and advancing the security interests that our nations share. India is one of the most important relationships our nation has in the world… If confirmed, I will prioritise deepening defence and security cooperation with India... I will also work towards President Trump’s ambitious goal dubbed ‘Mission 500’ to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030… India’s role in ensuring the stability and security of the region cannot be understated… President Trump’s leadership and the US-India partnership will define the 21st century…”

MUMBAI: In an abrupt move, Tata Trusts vice-chairman Vijay Singh (77) has resigned from the board of Tata Sons, a day before the holding company’s directors were to meet, and amid an impending RBI-mandated IPO deadline.Two main units of Tata Trusts – Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust – collectively hold approximately 52% in Tata Sons, the parent of the $165-billion Tata Group, which has a diverse portfolio ranging from aviation to automobiles.Singh served as a nominee director of Tata Trusts on Tata Sons board. He will continue to be a trustee of Tata Trusts. The move comes as a surprise since nominee directors of Tata Trusts do not have a retirement age, unlike other directors on Tata Sons board. For instance, executive, non-executive, and independent directors of Tata Sons retire at the ages of 65, 70, and 75, respectively.However, a resolution by Tata Trusts dated Oct 17, 2024, stipulates that nominated directors on Tata Sons board who reach the age of 75 must be reviewed annually. During Tata Trusts board meeting on Thursday, the nominated directors’ ages were reviewed.The majority of the trustees supported the review and the induction of younger individuals onto the Tata Sons board. The other two nominee directors on Tata Sons board are Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata (69) and vice-chairman Venu Srinivasan (72). Singh declined to comment, when contacted.This was Singh’s second stint at Tata Sons board. The former defence secretary was initially appointed to the board in June 2013, but stepped down in July 2018 upon reaching 70 years. At that time, the retirement age for Tata Trusts nominees was 70.He was reappointed to the board in Feb 2022 at the age of 74. This was possible as former Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata had introduced an unspecified retirement age for nominated directors.Tata Sons and Tata Trusts have been using retirement age as a tool to either extend or end the term of a board member at the company. For instance, in the past, the retirement age for non-executive directors was revised to 75 from 70, which had allowed Ratan Tata to continue as chairman of Tata Sons until that age. Singh earned Rs 3.2 crore as commission from Tata Sons in FY25. Singh’s departure, along with the recent end of tenures of two other Tata Sons directors – former JLR CEO Ralf Speth and Piramal Enterprises boss Ajay Piramal – opens up opportunities for new members. These changes have left Tata Sons board with six members. According to Tata Sons’ articles of association, Tata Trusts can nominate one-third of the directors. However, this requirement (two of six board seats) is currently fulfilled by Noel and Srinivasan.The development occurs as Tata Sons’ board is scheduled to meet on Friday, with the looming RBI-mandated IPO deadline for both the company and its subsidiary Tata Capital approaching by the end of this month. Tata Capital has sought a short extension for the launch of its $1.9-billion IPO from the RBI, while Tata Sons has applied to RBI to surrender its core investment company registration to avoid the IPO. Tata Capital intends to launch the IPO in the first half of Oct, which will make it the largest in the country.