The Indian equity benchmarks, the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty, are likely to witness a gap-up opening on Thursday, tracking strong global cues. However, the gains may remain capped as investors adopt a cautious stance ahead of key U.S. jobs data that will decide the path ahead for interest rates. Market participants will be closely monitoring global cues as the U.S. approaches the end of its 90-day tariff deadline next week, heightening uncertainty and tempering risk appetite.

The positive trends in GIFT Nifty Futures also indicated a firm opening for the benchmark indices. At 8:00 AM, the GIFT Nifty Futures stood at 25,581, up 50.5 points, or 0.20%.

On Wednesday, the Indian equities ended lower, tracking mixed global cues as investor sentiment remained cautious ahead of the anticipated U.S.–India trade deal. The BSE Sensex settled at 83,409.69, down 287.6 points, or 0.34%, and the NSE Nifty50 fell 88.45 points, or 0.35%, to close at 25,453.4. The broader market also witnessed profit booking, with the Nifty Midcap100 and Nifty Smallcap100 indices falling 0.14% and 0.41%, respectively. The market capitalisation of all listed companies on the BSE declined to ₹460.81 lakh crore.

S&P 500, Nasdaq settle at record high on Vietnam trade deal

In overnight trade, U.S. stocks ended on a positive note, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closing at record highs, driven by gains in technology stocks such as Nvidia, Apple, and Tesla. The sentiment was further lifted by a trade agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam that eased trade tensions. The S&P 500 rose 0.47%, the Nasdaq Composite surged 0.94%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed slightly lower, down 0.02%.

Asian markets mixed ahead of U.S. jobs data

Asian shares witnessed a mixed trend today as caution prevailed ahead of the release of crucial U.S. jobs data, while a record closing on Wall Street overnight injected some positivity in the market. The news of the U.S.-Vietnam trade deal lifted apparel stocks such as Nike Inc. amid optimism that this will ease potential supply chain concerns.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down over 1%, while China’s Shanghai Composite and Japan’s Nikkei 225 index were trading flat with a negative bias. Singapore Straits Times was also marginally down, while South Korea’s Kospi climbed nearly 0.6%. Taiwan Weighted index was the top performer in the region with a 0.9% gain, while Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite added 0.3%.

Stocks to watch today

Avenue Supermarts: The operator of the DMart retail chain has posted a 16% year-on-year rise in standalone revenue for the first quarter of FY26, amounting to ₹15,932.12 crore.

FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa): Harindarpal Singh Banga and Indra Banga are looking to sell a 2.1% equity stake worth around ₹1,200 crore in the company via block deals.

Indian Overseas Bank: The public sector bank has received its shareholders‘ approval for raising equity share capital of up to ₹4,000 crore through QIP, FPO, rights issue, or ESPS during FY26.

Aurobindo Pharma: The drug maker’s subsidiary, CuraTeQ Biologics s.r.o., has received marketing authorisation from the European Commission for Dazublys, its trastuzumab biosimilar version.

PNB Housing Finance: The board of the company has recommended an issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) worth up to ₹10,000 crore on a private placement basis, in one or more tranches.

Le Lavoir: The company, which is in the laundry and dry cleaning business, has acquired a 51% stake in Shree Vrajendra Foods, a Rajkot-based manufacturer and trader of foodgrains, edible oils, and other food staples.

Nestle India: The FMCG major has added a new Maggi Noodles production line at its Sanand factory in Gujarat, with an investment of ₹105 crore.

YES Bank: The bank has informed exchanges that Pankaj Sharma has resigned from the position of chief strategy and transformation officer, effective July 2.

Rail Vikas Nigam: RVNL has appointed Chandan Kumar Verma as its new chief financial officer, with the appointment taking effect from July 2, 2025.

Coromandel International: The company has received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to acquire 10.69 crore shares, representing a 53.13% stake in NACL Industries.

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