Sensex Advances on Tech-Led Buying

India’s BSE Sensex rose about 1.1% to 77,543 on Friday, following gains from the last session, as upbeat earnings from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) lifted sentiment toward the country's IT sector. The benchmark index tracked broader strength across Asian markets, where optimism surrounding AI-driven technology stocks offset concerns over ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Zensar Tech surged 8.8%, Newgen climbed 7.8%, KPIT gained 2.6%, and TCS added 1.5%. Market participants are now focused on upcoming quarterly earnings from other major companies to gauge the strength of India's earnings season. Meanwhile, investors are also watching June inflation data, with consumer inflation expected to have exceeded the Reserve Bank of India's 4% target for the first time in 16 months, a development that could shape expectations for the central bank's policy outlook. So far this week, the benchmark has declined 0.3%.

India’s BSE Sensex rose about 0.3% to close at 76,741.8 on Thursday, bouncing back after suffering a sharp decline the prior session. Investors braced for quarterly earnings from IT major TCS and monitored developments in the Middle East. Pre-earnings updates indicated strong growth for banks and FMCG stocks. On the geopolitical front, the US military said on Wednesday it carried out fresh strikes on Iran aimed at keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, prompting retaliatory Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain. Meanwhile, sustained foreign inflows helped offset geopolitical concerns, with overseas investors buying Indian equities for a sixth straight session. Among key movers, Sun Pharma (+2.7%) and Bharti Airtel (+2.2%) led gains amid rotation into defensive plays, including pharma, healthcare and telecom stocks. Techs saw some pressure, with Infosys down 1.8%. TCS fell 0.5% ahead of its earnings report, with analysts expecting a muted performance amid macro uncertainty.

The SENSEX Index rose 238 points or 0.31 percent on Thursday to close at 76742 points. Leading the gains are Sun Pharmaceuticals (2.58%), Bharti Airtel (2.49%) and Bajaj Finserv (2.38%). Top losers were Maruti Suzuki (-1.73%), NTPC (-1.28%) and Infosys (-1.25%).