Indian equities on the expiry day opened higher as bullish sentiment continued to dominate D-Street after Nifty recorded its highest close of 2025 in the previous session. At the open, the NSE’s Nifty50 index opened higher by 52 points or 0.21 per cent at 25,297, while the BSE’s 30-share Sensex was up 92 points or 0.11 per cent at 82,848.

Primarily, the RBI’s upbeat bulletin on India’s resilience and easing geopolitical tensions, together with softening crude are boosting investor sentiment.

Meanwhile, the high-beta Bank Nifty index was up nearly 100 points at 56,719.7. 

From the Nifty50 top gainers in early trade included stocks like Bharat Electronics, Jio Financial Services, JSW Steel, Tata Steel and Bajaj Finance, while laggards were Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Tech Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, SBI and Infosys.

Stocks to watch

SBI: The country’s leading PSB has geared up for its Rs 25,000 QIP offering with the appointment of managers to the issue.

Nestle India: The MNC FMCG company will be mulling its first ever bonus share issuance today.

CEAT: Tyre manufacturer CEAT plans to raise up to Rs 500 crore via the issuance of unsecured non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on a private placement basis.

Asian markets

Most Asian stocks edged lower on Thursday as investors assessed the Israel-Iran ceasfire, while maintaining a cautious stance amid the looming US tariff deadline. The key MSCI Asia ex Japan index traded with mild gains of 0.07 per cent.

Meanwhile, Japanese stocks defying the broader sentiment gained after Nvidia shares in overnight session reached record high.