In a volatile trading session, Indian markets traded near neutral lines in early afternoon session. Sensex traded in red, while Nifty traded in green. Investors were cautious amid weekly options expiry today. Traders took a note of Ministry of Commerce & Industry's latest data showing that the output of eight key infrastructure sectors grew at a slower pace of 1.8 per cent in November 2025 as compared to 5.8 per cent in the same month last year, amid a dip in production of crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, and electricity. On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed as Hong Kong consumer price inflation remained unchanged in November. The consumer price index registered an annual increase of 1.2 percent in November, the same rate as seen in October. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 85551.92, down by 15.56 points or 0.02% after trading in a range of 85342.99 and 85704.93. There were 15 stocks advancing against 15 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in green; the BSE Mid cap index gained 0.09%, while Small cap index was up by 0.42%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were PSU up by 1.00%, Utilities up by 0.82%, Metal up by 0.81%, Basic Materials up by 0.81% and Power was up by 0.71%, while IT down by 0.78%, TECK down by 0.76%, Healthcare down by 0.24%, Realty down by 0.22% and Consumer Durables was down by 0.03% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Ultratech Cement up by 1.48%, Power Grid up by 1.40%, NTPC up by 1.09%, Tata Steel up by 1.06% and HCL Tech up by 0.66%. On the flip side, Infosys down by 1.43%, Bharti Airtel down by 0.89%, TCS down by 0.76%, Eternal down by 0.61% and ICICI Bank down by 0.53% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, While the economy is susceptible to external sector headwinds, RBI Bulletin has pointed out that coordinated fiscal, monetary and regulatory policies have helped build resilience in the economy. Further, on the backdrop of dynamic global environment, continued focus on macroeconomic fundamentals and economic reforms are expected to boost efficiencies and productivity gains to firmly keep the economy on the high-growth trajectory. The bulletin pointed that an unprecedented shift in global trade policies has taken place in 2025, with countries moving towards bilateral renegotiations on tariffs and terms of trade, and its ripple effects on global trade flows and supply chains are still unfolding, leading to high global uncertainties and concerns about the prospects for global growth.

The Bulletin highlighted that the Indian economy grew at its fastest pace in the last six quarters, aided by resilient domestic demand in Q2:2025-26. It added that high-frequency indicators for the month of November indicated that overall economic activity has sustained supported by robust demand. Besides, headline CPI inflation edged up but continued to remain below the lower tolerance level. It noted that financial conditions remained benign, and the flow of financial resources to the commercial sector remained robust.

Moreover, lower merchandise trade deficit, robust services exports, and strong remittance receipts have helped country to moderated its current account deficit in Q2:2025-26 against same period last year. It noted that the foreign direct investment remained higher during April-October 2025 as compared to same period last year. On the softening rupee, it pointed that the strengthening of the US dollar, muted foreign portfolio flows, and uncertainty surrounding the India-US trade deal have weighed on Indian rupee.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 26185.95, up by 13.55 points or 0.05% after trading in a range of 26119.05 and 26206.55. There were 26 stocks advancing against 24 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Coal India up by 3.72%, Tata Motors Passenger up by 2.02%, Shriram Finance up by 1.75%, Ultratech Cement up by 1.47% and Power Grid up by 1.40%. On the flip side, Infosys down by 1.33%, Bharti Airtel down by 1.06%, TCS down by 0.80%, Wipro down by 0.61% and Eternal down by 0.59% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Taiwan Weighted added 160.83 points or 0.57% to 28,310.47, Straits Times rose 25.43 points or 0.55% to 4,635.72, KOSPI increased 11.39 points or 0.28% to 4,117.32 and Shanghai Composite was up by 2.62 points or 0.07% to 3,919.98. On the flip side, Hang Seng declined 10.77 points or 0.04% to 25,791.00, Nikkei 225 slipped 41.39 points or 0.08% to 50,361.00 and Jakarta Composite was down by 45.26 points or 0.52% to 8,600.58.