Indian markets continued their gaining momentum in early afternoon session as traders preferred to buy fundamental strong stocks. Investors took support as foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) turned net buyers in the first week of February, infusing more than Rs 8,100 crore in Indian equities, aided by improving risk sentiment, along with a trade deal with the US. Besides, India has reached for an interim trade agreement with the US. Sector wise, insurance stocks remained in limelight as General Insurance Council in its latest data (Provisional) has showed that non-life insurers reported 11.73% rise in gross direct premium underwritten at Rs 31062.67 crore for the month of January 2026 (excluding specialised companies - Agricultural Insurance Company of India and ECGC) as compared to Rs 27801.60 crore in the January 2025.

On the global front, all Asian markets were trading higher despite Japan current conditions index of the Economy Watchers' Survey, which measures the present situation of the economy, dropped to 47.6 in January from 47.7 in December. Meanwhile, the street had forecast the index to rise to 49.1.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 84061.73, up by 481.33 points or 0.58% after trading in a range of 83860.42 and 84314.68. There were 22 stocks advancing against 8 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Realty up by 2.40%, Consumer Durables up by 2.17%, PSU up by 1.90%, Industrials up by 1.80% and Basic Materials was up by 1.79%, while there were no losing sectoral indices on the BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were SBI up by 6.81%, Tata Steel up by 2.99%, Bharat Electronics up by 2.05%, Titan Company up by 1.86% and Trent up by 1.68%. On the flip side, Power Grid down by 1.02%, ITC down by 0.89%, ICICI Bank down by 0.78%, HDFC Bank down by 0.38% and Infosys down by 0.36% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 (ISM 2.0) will focus on indigenous chip design & production, attracting ecosystem partners and development of talents. He noted that the government will continue to work on setting up semiconductor manufacturing plants and target to produce chips as small as 2 nano-meter node size. Further, the government will consider getting on board the equipment manufacturers, chemical manufacturers, gas manufacturers, and the people who improve the yield.

Building on gains of ISM 1.0 (launched in December 2021), the new phase (ISM 2.0) seeks to consolidate India’s position as a reliable and competitive participant in the global semiconductor network. In the Union Budget 2026-27, a provision of Rs 1,000 crore has been made for ISM 2.0 for FY 2026-27, with a strong emphasis on industry led research and training centres to drive technology development and create a future ready skilled workforce. Besides, the Modified Programme for Development of Semiconductor and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India has a total financial outlay of Rs 8,000 crore for 2026-27. The programme aims to accelerate capital investment, generate high quality employment, and expand domestic capabilities across fabrication, packaging, and chip design. 

India is steadily emerging as a global semiconductor hub. The large-scale investments, expanding manufacturing capacity, and platforms such as SEMICON India 2025 reflect growing global confidence in India’s semiconductor journey.  Moreover, the Indian semiconductor market is expected to reach $100-$110 billion by 2030. The country is expected to achieve the capability to design and manufacture chips required for nearly 70% to 75% of domestic applications by 2029.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 25858.50, up by 164.80 points or 0.64% after trading in a range of 25780.90 and 25922.25. There were 37 stocks advancing against 13 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were SBI up by 6.82%, Shriram Finance up by 3.83%, Tata Steel up by 2.92%, Tata Motors Passenger up by 2.42% and Hindalco up by 2.18%. On the flip side, Max Healthcare Inst down by 1.42%, Power Grid down by 1.04%, ICICI Bank down by 0.81%, ITC down by 0.69% and ONGC down by 0.65% were the top losers.

All Asian markets were trading higher; Nikkei 225 surged 2331.32 points or 4.12% to 56,585.00, Taiwan Weighted added 621.7 points or 1.92% to 32,404.62, Hang Seng advanced 492.05 points or 1.85% to 27,052.00, KOSPI increased 208.90 points or 3.94% to 5,298.04, Jakarta Composite gained 72.72 points or 0.92% to 8,007.98, Shanghai Composite strengthened 57.51 points or 1.41% to 4,123.09 and Straits Times was up by 26.89 points or 0.54% to 4,961.30.