Sensex surges 155 pts in early trade, Nifty near 24,800; M&M continues rally, FMCG stocks weigh 

The Indian benchmark indices opened on a positive note today, with the BSE Sensex rising 155 points to 80,882.14, while the NSE Nifty added 0.24% to trade at 24,790.

The marginal gains came as investors tracked positive global cues. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order finalising a lower 15% tariff on Japanese auto imports, while signs of a cooling U.S. labour market — which could prompt the Federal Reserve to consider rate cuts — also lifted sentiment.

In the Sensex 30 pack, 22 companies advanced and 8 declined. From the Nifty 50 index, 37 stocks gained while 13 were in the red. On the NSE, out of 2,459 stocks traded, 1,534 advanced, 836 declined, and 64 remained unchanged. Forty-one companies hit a new 52-week high, while 17 recorded a new 52-week low.

Mahindra & Mahindra continued its rally, with shares rising 1.82% to ₹3,544.90 apiece. Trent gained 1.28%, while Jio Finance was up 1.24%.

FMCG stocks, which had rallied in the previous session after investors cheered the new GST reforms expected to lower the cost of daily-use products, turned out to be the major laggards today. ITC fell 2.25%, Nestlé India slipped 1.43%, and Tata Consumer Products declined 0.77%.

The broader markets, which had ended in the red yesterday, posted modest gains, with the Nifty Midcap 50 rising 0.44% and the Nifty Smallcap 50 up 0.40%.

Among sectoral indices, Nifty Auto remained the top performer, gaining 1.15%, while Nifty FMCG dropped 1.34%. Nifty Pharma and Nifty Media also traded in the green.

Zydus Lifesciences jumped 2% after its wholly owned subsidiary, Zydus Lifesciences Global FZE, entered into an exclusive licensing and supply agreement with the Netherlands’ Synthon BV for Ozanimod Capsules in the U.S. market. Swiggy rose 1.62% after announcing a platform fee hike ahead of festive demand.

NTPC slipped 0.32% after it permanently discontinued operations at Tanda Thermal Power Station Stage-I, comprising four units of 110 megawatts (MW) each.

Today’s session began on a subdued note as investor optimism faded after factoring in potential gains from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of GST reforms in his Independence Day speech. On Thursday, the BSE Sensex had closed at 80,718.01, up 150 points, while the Nifty ended 0.08% higher at 24,734.30.