Indian equity benchmarks ended in positive territory on Friday, supported by gains in IT stocks. Markets made a positive start, as traders took support after World Bank raised India's GDP growth forecast to 7.2 per cent for the current fiscal. Despite profit-taking emerged at higher levels during the afternoon session, indices managed to trade above their neutral lines and closed with modest gains.

Some of the important factors in trade:

India’s GDP growth forecast to 7.2% for the current fiscal: Sentiments also got a boost as the World Bank raised India's GDP growth forecast to 7.2 per cent for the current fiscal, up by 0.9 percentage points from its June projections, on the back of robust domestic demand and tax reforms.

India’s merchandise exports rise 1.87% to $38.5 billion in December: Some support also came as the commerce ministry’s data showed that India’s merchandise exports rose 1.87 per cent to $38.5 billion in December 2025 as compared to $37.80 billion in December 2024, despite persistent global economic headwinds.

Unemployment rate rises slightly to 4.8% in December: Traders took note of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) showed that unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above rose marginally to 4.8 per cent in December 2025 compared to 4.7 per cent in the preceding month.  

Global front: European markets were trading mostly in green after data showed that Germany's harmonized inflation eased to the 2 percent target towards the end of the year. Asian equity markets were trading in mixed, despite Wall Street’s gains overnight.

The BSE Sensex ended at 83570.35, up by 187.64 points or 0.23% after trading in a range of 83456.50 and 84134.97. There were 12 stocks advancing against 18 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The broader indices ended mixed; the BSE Mid cap index was up by 0.15%, while Small cap index down by 0.45%. (Provisional)

The gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 3.39%, TECK up by 2.39%, Bankex up by 1.16%, Oil & Gas up by 0.43% and Realty up by 0.33%, while Consumer Durables down by 1.37%, Capital Goods down by 1.23%, Healthcare down by 1.16%, Power down by 1.13% and Consumer Disc down by 0.80% were the top losing indices on BSE. (Provisional)

The top gainers on the Sensex were Infosys up by 5.19%, Tech Mahindra up by 4.98%, HCL Technologies up by 1.57%, SBI up by 1.08% and Ultratech Cement up by 1.06%. On the flip side, Eternal down by 3.34%, Bharat Electronics down by 2.46%, Sun Pharma down by 2.26%, Maruti Suzuki down by 2.08% and Asian Paints down by 2.07% were the top losers. (Provisional)

Meanwhile, the commerce ministry in its latest data has showed that India's merchandise exports to the US declined 1.85 per cent to $6.88 billion in December 2025 as compared to $7.01 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year, impacted by high tariffs imposed by the US. Exports to the US also contracted in September and October last year, before rebounding 22.61% in November. Imports from the US grew 7.57 per cent to $4.03 billion in December 2025.

On a cumulative basis, the country's exports to the US increased 9.75 per cent to $65.87 billion during the April-December period of this fiscal year, while imports rose 12.85 per cent to $39.43 billion during the period. The US has imposed a sweeping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods entering American markets from August 27, 2025. India and the US are actively negotiating a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) to significantly boost commerce.

India's exports to the UAE, Germany, Hong Kong, Spain, Malaysia and Vietnam saw positive growth in December. However, exports to the Netherlands, UK, Bangladesh, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Australia, Nepal, Brazil, South Africa and France registered negative growth. On the imports front, inbound shipments during the month under review declined from nations like Russia, Switzerland, Indonesia, Thailand and Qatar. However, imports rose from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Singapore, and Japan.  

The CNX Nifty ended at 25694.35, up by 28.75 points or 0.11% after trading in a range of 25662.40 and 25873.50. There were 22 stocks advancing against 28 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gainers on Nifty were Infosys up by 5.63%, Tech Mahindra up by 5.16%, Wipro up by 2.79%, HCL Technologies up by 1.77% and Tata Consumer Products up by 1.51%. On the flip side, Eternal down by 3.86%, JIO Financial Service down by 2.86%, Cipla down by 2.58%, Hindalco down by 2.17% and Asian Paints down by 2.03% were the top losers. (Provisional)

European markets were trading mostly in green; Germany’s DAX gained 46.21 points or 0.18% to 25,398.60 and UK’s FTSE 100 increased 15.57 points or 0.15% to 10,254.51, while France’s CAC fell 27.12 points or 0.33% to 8,286.00.

Asian markets ended mixed on Friday, despite Wall Street’s gains overnight followed by strong earnings reports from banks and chipmakers. Better-than-expected weekly US jobless claims data boosted expectations that the US Federal Reserve will keep rates on hold for the next several months. Hong Kong shares declined on profit taking after a strong earnings outlook from Taiwanese chipmaking titan TSMC bolstered confidence in the durability of AI-related demand and lifted risk appetite globally. Investors were anxiously awaiting forthcoming economic growth data from China slated for release on Monday. Japanese shares fell due to increasing political uncertainty surrounding an anticipated snap election. Meanwhile, Seoul shares hit another new high as momentum in the artificial intelligence sector picked up.