The BSE Sensex climbed 343 points, or 0.4%, to 85,531 in the morning session on the second trading day of the year, after a slight decline in the previous session, hitting its highest level since December 23, 2024, as investors braced for the quarterly earnings season. Most sectors traded in the green, including metals, autos, banking, technology, and manufacturing. However, persistent foreign outflows capped the gains. Foreign portfolio investors sold shares worth INR 32.69 billion on Thursday, according to provisional data, marking a seventh consecutive session of outflows. Fresh data showed that manufacturing sector growth was the weakest in two years, which also weighed on sentiment, as investors anticipated the release of GDP figures next week. Among the top performers were IndusInd Bank (1.9%), NTPC (1.7%), Bajaj Finance (1.6%), Maruti Suzuki (1.5%), and Tata Motors (1.0%). For the week, the index is on track for a 0.6% gain, which would mark the second consecutive weekly rise.
