MUMBAI: Stock market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rallied in early trade on Wednesday helped by foreign fund inflows, better-than-expected Q2 results and a sustained moderation in crude oil prices.
The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 1,097.33 points to 82,186.92 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty rallied 274.30 points to 25,317.55.
In the 30 Sensex firms, InterGlobe Aviation, Mahindra & Mahindra, Eternal, HDFC Bank, Power Grid and Bharti Airtel were among the major winners.
Titan was the only laggard from the pack.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 7,212.22 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, traded at USD 92.44 per barrel level.
"The Nifty-50 has surged by 8.6 per cent in just seven trading days of this month. This surge was triggered mainly by the aggressive FII buying of Rs 53,170 crore, so far, this month. The dramatic change in the market environment was triggered by positive global clues for India from the weakening of the AI trade. But it is important to note that the real fundamental support to the rally has come from the better-than-expected Q2 results," V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Ltd, said.
Given the new favourable environment for the Indian market, FIIs are likely to continue buying, imparting resilience to the frontline stocks in banking/financials, telecom, capital goods, select auto and pharmaceutical majors, he said.
"The drop in Brent crude to USD 92 is an additional macro relief for India," Vijayakumar added.
The domestic equity markets were closed on Tuesday on account of 'Diwali Balipratipada'.
On Monday, the Sensex climbed 107.25 points, or 0.13 per cent, to settle at 81,106.65. The Nifty rose 58.25 points, or 0.23 per cent, to close at 25,044.65.
"Indian equities appear well positioned to extend their recent advance, with a sustained moderation in crude oil prices and a revival in foreign portfolio inflows providing a more supportive backdrop for domestic markets. WTI crude has continued to retreat, trading around USD 86 per barrel, while Brent has eased to the USD 91–92 range. The decline in international oil prices offers some respite from concerns over elevated energy costs, imported inflation and pressure on India's external balances," Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth-tech firm, said.
Foreign institutional flows have also emerged as a significant source of support, with the market witnessing a notable turnaround from the sustained selling seen in October to consecutive sessions of aggressive net buying, he said.
"This renewed foreign investor participation has helped reinforce the recent market recovery, improving risk appetite and lending greater confidence to the domestic investment outlook," Ponmudi added.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi and Japan's Nikkei 225 index were trading higher, while Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index quoted lower.
The US equity markets ended lower on Tuesday.
