Sensex surges 400 pts, Nifty at 24,785; BEL, Eternal, Sun Pharma shares lead

After a flat start, Indian equity markets gained momentum in early trade, with the BSE Sensex rising as much as 0.5% in the first hour. At 10:20 am, the Sensex was up 420 points at 80,845, while the NSE Nifty climbed 130 points to 24,782. On the Nifty50, 42 stocks advanced against 8 decliners, while the Sensex saw 25 gainers.

Leading the gains was Bharat Electronics , which jumped 2.35% to ₹405.20 following the Indian Army’s issuance of a ₹30,000-crore tender for regiments of the indigenously developed ‘Anant Shastra’ surface-to-air missile systems. Eternal and Titan also contributed to the positive sentiment, rising 1.99% and 1% respectively.

On the downside, Hindustan Unilever was the top loser, slipping 2.5% to ₹2,448.70, while Axis Bank and Nestle India fell 1.46% and 1.01% respectively.

Sectorally, indices saw a mild revival, with Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Oil & Gas leading the charge, both gaining over 1%. However, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Consumer Durables remained in the red.

Broader markets mirrored the uptrend, with Nifty Midcap 50 and Nifty Smallcap 50 both rising 0.63%. Meanwhile, India VIX inched up 2.38% to 11.70, reflecting lingering volatility in investor sentiment.