Indian equity benchmarks remained flat in morning trade, weighed down by persistent foreign fund outflows. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth RS. 3,856.51 crore on Thursday, as per exchange data. Sentiment stayed cautious after the RBI Bulletin flagged downside risks to overall demand due to uncertainties around US trade policies, though it noted that inflation outlook has turned more benign on account of subdued food prices and favourable base effects.
Sector-wise, aviation stocks were under focus after ratings agency ICRA projected higher losses of RS. 9,500–10,500 crore in FY26 for the Indian aviation industry, compared to an estimated RS. 5,500 crore in FY25, largely due to geopolitical headwinds and trade challenges.
On the global front, Asian markets traded mostly in green following a tech-led rally on Wall Street, with investors eyeing key US inflation data for cues on the Federal Reserve’s rate outlook.
The BSE Sensex was trading at 80,120.76, up 40.19 points or 0.05%, moving between 79,944.67 and 80,277.68. Market breadth was even with 15 stocks advancing and 15 declining. The broader indices, however, were in red as the BSE Midcap index slipped 0.41% and the Smallcap index dipped 0.19%.
On BSE, Bankex (+0.40%), FMCG (+0.27%), Capital Goods (+0.24%) and Industrials (+0.16%) led gains, while Realty (-1.22%), Utilities (-0.69%), Auto (-0.56%), IT (-0.55%) and Metal (-0.54%) were top laggards.
Top Sensex gainers included Trent (+2.39%), ITC (+1.25%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (+1.23%), Ultratech Cement (+1.14%) and Bharat Electronics (+0.89%). Major losers were Mahindra & Mahindra (-2.17%), Eternal (-1.93%), Infosys (-1.20%), NTPC (-0.92%) and Adani Ports & SEZ (-0.71%).
Meanwhile, India’s industrial output (IIP) grew 3.5% in July 2025, the fastest pace in four months, supported by manufacturing growth. This compared with 5% growth in July 2024. In April–July FY26, industrial production rose 2.3% versus 5.4% a year earlier.
Manufacturing output rose 5.4% in July 2025 (vs. 4.7% in July 2024), while mining contracted 7.2% (vs. +3.8% last year). Power generation edged up 0.6% compared to 7.9% a year ago.
Among manufacturing groups, strong growth came from manufacture of electrical equipment (+15.9%), basic metals (+12.7%) and non-metallic mineral products (+9.5%).
By use-based classification, primary goods contracted 1.7% (vs. +5.9% last year), capital goods grew 5% (vs. 11.7%), and intermediate goods expanded 5.8% (vs. 7%). Infrastructure/construction goods surged 11.9% (vs. 5.5%), while consumer durables grew 7.7% (vs. 8.2%) and non-durables rose 0.5% (vs. -4.2%).
The CNX Nifty traded at 24,515.35, up 14.45 points or 0.06%, after moving between 24,464.15 and 24,564.35. The index saw 22 stocks advancing and 28 declining.
Top Nifty gainers were Trent (+1.81%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (+1.32%), Shriram Finance (+1.23%), ITC (+1.17%) and Ultratech Cement (+1.13%). Major losers were Eternal (-2.19%), Mahindra & Mahindra (-1.98%), Infosys (-1.25%), Dr. Reddy’s Lab (-0.90%) and Adani Enterprises (-0.87%).
In Asia, Hang Seng (+0.70%), Straits Times (+0.35%), Taiwan Weighted (+0.45%) and Shanghai Composite (+0.16%) gained, while Nikkei 225 (-0.35%), Jakarta Composite (-2.27%) and KOSPI (-0.21%) declined.