The Indian equity benchmarks, the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty, are poised to open on a strong note on Thursday, extending gains for the second day, supported by overnight advances on Wall Street and firm cues from the Asian markets. Adding to this, optimism around the GST 2.0 announcements is set to further boost sentiment, as the measures are likely to spur domestic consumption and offset the economic impact of U.S. tariffs.

At 7:45 a.m., the GIFT Nifty futures were up 165 points, or 0.67%, at 24,977, indicating a strong start for the Indian share markets.

On the domestic front, the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Wednesday cleared a key reform, streamlining the existing four-slab structure (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%) into two principal slabs—5% and 18%—along with a special 40% rate for luxury and sin goods such as high-end cars, tobacco, and cigarettes.

Rates on several essential and personal-use items, including hair oil, cornflakes, televisions, and even health and life insurance premiums, have been reduced. The move is aimed at spurring domestic consumption and cushioning the economy against the impact of the U.S. tariffs.

On Wednesday, the Indian benchmark indices ended higher in choppy trade amid hopes of positive outcomes in the then ongoing GST Council meeting. The BSE Sensex jumped 410 points to 80,567.71, and the NSE Nifty rose 135 points to settle at 24,715.05. The BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices rose 0.63% and 0.90%, respectively.

Tech rally propels U.S. stocks higher

Wall Street ended mostly higher overnight, lifted by technology shares after a federal court ruled in favour of Google in an antitrust lawsuit. Shares of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, jumped over 9% after the court said the company would not be required to sell its Chrome browser as part of an antitrust lawsuit.

Cheering the news, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 1%, while the S&P 500 advanced about 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, slipped 0.1%, weighed down by persistent concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook.

Asian stocks surge on Fed rate cut hopes

Equity markets in the Asia-Pacific traded higher on Thursday after weak U.S. job openings data reignited expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut at its September policy meeting. Investors are also eyeing a bond auction in Japan later in the day, which comes against the backdrop of global debt market volatility and heightened political uncertainty at home.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 was the top performer in the region with a 1.1% gain, followed by Taiwan’s Weighted Index, which surged up to 0.9%. Among others, South Korea’s Kospi, Singapore’s Straits Times, and Australia’s ASX 200 rose between 0.2% and 0.7%. On the other hand, China’s Shanghai Composite was down 0.8%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng opened marginally lower.

Stocks to watch today

Aptus Value Housing Finance India: Private equity firm Westbridge Capital is looking to exit the housing finance company by selling its 16.46% stake, worth around ₹2,600 crore.

Swiggy: Online food delivery platform Swiggy has hiked its platform fee to ₹15 per order, marking the third increase in three weeks.

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL): The PSU has secured an order worth ₹2,600 crore from MB Power (Madhya Pradesh) for the supply of boiler, turbine, and generator equipment for the 1x800 MW Anuppur Thermal Power Project.

Prestige Estates Projects: The real estate firm’s subsidiary, Prestige Office Ventures, has been issued a show-cause notice by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence, Hyderabad, seeking ₹160.82 crore, along with an equivalent penalty and applicable interest.

Force Motors: The auto company reported sales of 2,403 vehicles in August 2025, up 4.52% from 2,299 units in the same month last year.

GHV Infra Projects: The company has secured a subcontract worth around ₹120 crore from GHV (India) for engineering and construction linked to the integrated redevelopment of a railway station under South Eastern Railway in Jharkhand.

UTI Asset Management Company: The board has named Vetri Subramaniam, currently Chief Investment Officer, as the next Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1, 2026.

Poly Medicure: The medical device maker has signed definitive agreements to acquire a 90% stake in PendraCare Group—which includes PendraCare Holdings and Wellinq Medical—from Wellinq Holdings B.V. at an enterprise value of €18.3 million.

Sharika Enterprises: The power transmission and distribution firm has secured another order from JSW Steel for the installation of 220kV Extra High Voltage (EHV) cables at its Dolvi plant in Maharashtra.

Redington: The technology solutions distributor has entered into a strategic partnership with CrowdStrike to deliver the AI-native CrowdStrike Falcon platform across India.

Highway Infrastructure: The company has received a letter of acceptance valued at ₹18.97 crore for toll collection on the 4-lane Greenfield Expressway spur connecting the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway near Bandikui to Jaipur, Rajasthan.

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