Overview

• Benchmarks ended modestly higher, with the Nifty at 25,005.50 and the Sensex at 81,548.73, extending the Nifty’s winning streak to seven sessions.
• Energy, oil and gas, and PSU bank shares led gains, while IT and autos lagged; Infosys slipped ahead of a board meeting to consider a share buyback.
• Foreign portfolio investors were provisional net sellers of about Rs 115.7 crore as domestic institutions bought roughly Rs 5,004.29 crore.
• The rupee weakened to about 88.44 per US dollar by the close, reflecting foreign outflows and currency pressure.
• Analysts cited renewed US‑India trade talk optimism and expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut as drivers, with investors watching upcoming US CPI and jobs data for direction.