Indian stock markets continued to trade slightly lower this morning, impacted by the weekly Nifty options expiry and caution ahead of the RBI policy announcement. Concerns arose after the World Bank reported a $31 billion rise in India’s external debt, reaching $646.79 billion in 2023. Interest payments also surged to $22.54 billion, compared to $15.08 billion in 2022.

Despite this, market losses were limited due to optimism from the OECD, which projected that India would sustain nearly 7% growth over the next two years, driven by strong investments and recovery in agricultural output. Public infrastructure projects remain key growth drivers.

Globally, Asian markets are largely positive, buoyed by softer U.S. private sector employment data that eased interest rate concerns.

Currently, the BSE Sensex is at 80,855.74, down 100.59 points or 0.12%, with 10 stocks advancing and 20 declining. The BSE Mid Cap index rose by 0.07%, and the Small Cap index gained 0.13%. Key gainers included Telecom (+0.72%), IT (+0.58%), and Consumer Discretionary (+0.09%), while sectors like Utilities (-0.73%) and Power (-0.58%) saw declines.

Top performers on the Sensex included Bharti Airtel (+1.01%), TCS (+0.65%), and SBI (+0.51%), while NTPC (-1.53%), Power Grid Corporation (-1.46%), and JSW Steel (-1.28%) were the major losers.

The Nifty is trading at 24,425.85, down 41.60 points or 0.17%. Bharti Airtel and TCS led gains, while Bajaj Auto and NTPC were top losers.

Meanwhile, the government is launching a unified National Legal Metrology Portal (eMaap) to streamline licensing, verification, and compliance processes, enhancing consumer protection and ease of doing business. The platform will integrate various state portals, creating a centralized system for legal metrology functions, including enforcement activities.

In Asia, Nikkei 225 and Shanghai Composite traded higher, while Hang Seng and KOSPI saw declines.