Opening Bell: Flat opening seen for Sensex, Nifty ahead of Q4 GDP data; Bajaj Auto, Suzlon Energy, Ola, Nykaa, Apollo Hospitals shares in focus

The Indian equity benchmarks, the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty50, are seen opening flat on Friday, tracking weak cues from Asian peers, as caution will prevail ahead of the highly-awaited

GDP data for the fourth quarter and the full fiscal after market hours today. The muted trends in GIFT Nifty futures also signal a flat start for domestic benchmark indices. At 8:20 AM, the

GIFT Nifty futures were up by 11.5 points at 24,948, indicating a subdued opening for the Sensex and the Nifty.

Among individual stocks, shares of Apollo Hospitals, FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa), AstraZeneca Pharma India, IVRCL, SML Isuzu, Swan Energy, and many others will be in focus as they are

set to release their quarterly earnings today.

On Thursday, the Indian share market closed higher in choppy trade as sentiment was boosted after a U.S. court struck down President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tax policy. The 30-share Sensex

closed 320.70 points, or 0.39%, higher at 81,633, and the Nifty50 rose 81.15 points, or 0.33%, to settle at 24,834. On the sectoral front, metal and realty indices emerged as top gainers,

rising over 1% each, followed by IT, pharma, bank, and energy. On the other hand, FMCG and PSU banks were among the top laggards.

On the global front, Wall Street finished higher with modest gains as investors digested a U.S. court ruling that temporarily struck down President Trump’s reciprocal tax policy. The rally

in NVIDIA shares after the chipmaker released its earnings report also boosted sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.28% higher, while the S&P 500 gained 0.40%. In a similar

trend, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed 0.39% higher.

Meanwhile, the equity markets in Asia-Pacific region witnessed bearish trade today amid uncertainties about Trump’s “reciprocal” tariff policies as the 90-day pause is set to end soon. Hong

Kong’s Hang Seng index was the biggest loser in the region, falling as much as 1.6%. This was followed by Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, which declined 1.4%. Among others, China’s Shanghai

Composite was down 0.4%, while Singapore’s Straits Times slide 0.2%.

(DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed by investment experts on fortuneindia.com are either their own or of their organisations, but not necessarily that of fortuneindia.com and its

editorial team. Readers are advised to consult certified experts before taking investment decisions.)