Indian equity markets opened on a cautious note on Friday, April 25, following mixed global signals. The BSE Sensex slipped 39.06 points or 0.05% to 79,762.37 in early trade, despite having opened higher at 79,830.15 and briefly crossing the 80,100 mark (touching 80,130.66). The broader Nifty 50 also witnessed a muted start, opening slightly higher at 24,289, up 42.3 points.

Both indices had initially climbed to highs during morning trade with Sensex at 80,130.66 and Nifty at 24,365.45, before giving up gains. As of latest update, the Sensex has recovered to 79,921.08, up 119.65 points or 0.15%, while the Nifty is down to 24,243.35.

On the sectoral front, heavyweight stocks like Reliance Industries, TCS, Infosys, and Titan provided support, emerging as top gainers on the BSE. On the flip side, Axis Bank was the biggest drag, falling 3.34% in morning trade, followed by losses in Adani Ports and Tech Mahindra.

Among Nifty constituents, SBI Life Insurance, Apollo Hospitals, Shriram Finance, and Tata Steel joined TCS in leading the gains, while Tech Mahindra, Axis Bank, Asian Paints, and Tata Consumer Products were under pressure.

Quarterly results released on Thursday from marquee names like Axis Bank, and Tech Mahindra are in the spotlight today. Tech Mahindra reported a 77% year-on-year jump in consolidated net profit at ₹1,167 crore for Q4FY25, driven by lower subcontracting costs and a deferred tax gain. This marks a sharp rise from ₹661 crore in the same quarter last year and an improvement over ₹983.2 crore in Q3FY25. Revenue from operations rose 4% year-on-year to ₹13,384 crore, up from ₹12,871 crore in Q4FY24. The IT major also declared a final dividend of ₹30 per share for FY25. Meanwhile, Axis Bank posted results that beat market expectations, despite a marginal dip in performance, adding to investor optimism around the banking sector.

A host of companies across sectors are set to announce their quarterly earnings on April 25. Among the key names are Reliance Industries, Maruti Suzuki India, RBL Bank, Tata Technologies, L&T Finance, and Cholamandalam Investment and Finance. Other notable firms scheduled to report their results include DCB Bank, Force Motors, Hindustan Zinc, Chennai Petroleum Corporation, Dr Lal PathLabs, Lloyds Metals and Energy, Bank of Maharashtra, and Mahindra Lifespace Developers.

Additionally, financial and tech players like Motilal Oswal Financial Services, Oracle Financial Services Software, Poonawalla Fincorp, Rossari Biotech, Shriram Finance, Tejas Networks, VST Industries, Zenotech Laboratories, and Zensar Technologies will also be in focus as they unveil their Q4 performance.

The trajectory of Indian equities in the coming sessions will likely hinge on global market cues and the ongoing Q4 corporate earnings season. On Thursday, US stocks extended gains for a third straight session, buoyed by strength in the technology sector as investors assessed a mixed bag of earnings and tracked developments in US-China trade talks. Asian markets opened higher on Friday, riding on Wall Street’s optimism, boosted by expectations of earlier-than-anticipated rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve and strong results from tech giant Alphabet Inc.

Gold prices edged higher, heading for a third consecutive weekly gain as investors monitored progress in US-China trade negotiations. Meanwhile, crude oil prices ticked up modestly on Friday but remained on course for a weekly decline amid speculation of increased OPEC+ output and possible peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Uncertainty around US tariff decisions continues to cloud the demand outlook. All eyes now remain on heavyweight earnings and global signals for near-term direction.