Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 26 (ANI): The share markets in the country opened with marginal gains on Thursday, taking positive cues from global markets and overnight gains on Wall Street, as concerns over AI-led disruption eased and investor sentiment improved.

The benchmark Nifty 50 index opened at 25,560.40, gaining 77.90 points or 0.31 per cent, while the BSE Sensex opened at 82,534.15, rising 258.08 points or 0.31 per cent.

Market experts noted that positive global trends and sustained domestic institutional investor inflows are supporting investor confidence.

Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, said, 'The Indian stock market is expected to begin the session on a steady note, reflecting overnight gains on Wall Street--led by technology counters--and a constructive tone across Asian markets in early trade. Sustained DII inflows continue to act as a structural anchor, supporting selective accumulation in banking, metals, power, FMCG, and auto stocks. In the absence of a strong external trigger or fresh domestic catalyst, the overall market tone is expected to remain measured.'

In the broader markets on the NSE, mixed trends were observed. The Nifty 100 index was up by 0.06 per cent, while the Nifty Midcap 100 gained 0.19 per cent. However, the Nifty Smallcap 100 declined by 0.15 per cent.

Sectoral indices also reflected a mixed trend. Nifty IT emerged as the top gainer, rising 0.77 per cent, followed by Nifty PSU Bank, which climbed 0.84 per cent, Nifty Pharma up by 0.39 per cent, and Nifty Oil & Gas, which surged 0.18 per cent.

On the downside, Nifty Realty declined 0.57 per cent, Nifty FMCG fell 0.25 per cent, Nifty Consumer Durables dropped 0.19 per cent, Nifty Media lost 0.16 per cent, Nifty Private Bank declined 0.13 per cent, and Nifty Metal slipped 0.11 per cent.

Strong institutional buying also supported the markets, with foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) purchasing equities worth Rs 2,991 crore and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) buying shares worth Rs 5,118 crore in the previous session.

Meanwhile, precious metals prices declined marginally in the opening session. Gold prices fell 0.3 per cent to Rs 160,700 per 10 grams for 24 karat, while silver prices dropped more than 1 per cent to Rs 265,526 per kilogram.

Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research at Kotak Securities, said, 'The benchmark indices witnessed a volatile trading session. After a roller-coaster activity, the Nifty ended 58 points higher, while the Sensex was up by 50 points. Among sectors, the Metal Index outperformed, rallying 2.60 percent. Technically, the market opened on a strong note, but after an intraday rally, it again witnessed profit booking at higher levels, which is largely negative.'

Asian markets showed a mixed trend in early Thursday trade. Japan's Nikkei 225 index surged by 0.4 per cent or 202 points to 58,786, Taiwan's weighted index gained 0.13 per cent or 77 points to 35,490, and South Korea's market jumped more than 2 per cent by 125 points to 6,209. However, Hong Kong's market declined by 0.41 per cent to 26,657, and Singapore's Straits Times index fell 0.24 per cent to 4,995.

In the US markets, equities ended higher on Wednesday. The S&P 500 gained 0.81 per cent or 56 points to close at 6,946, while the Nasdaq jumped more than 1 per cent or 284 points to 23,148. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also rose 307 points or 0.63 per cent to close at 49,482. (ANI)