Stock Market Today: Sensex and Nifty opened in the green on Friday due to positive global cues. While Nifty50 was above 24,200, BSE Sensex was up by about 100 points. At 9:17 am Nifty50 was trading at 24,208.00, up 11 points or 0.046%. The BSE Sensex was up 92 points or 0.12% at 78,080.41.Market analysts remained cautious given mixed global cues and persistent geopolitical uncertainties.“Positive news related to fundamentals, US resilience, and the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon are good for the market,” says VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Ltd. However, given his track record of total inconsistency, President Trump’s bravado should be taken with a grain of salt. Investors should be guided by actions rather than words. An important and distinct trend in the market is the strength of mid and small caps compared to large caps. Large caps are being affected due to fear of FIIs becoming sellers in rallies again. Therefore, in the short term, the broader market may outperform fund flows and retail buying in this sector. However, the prospects for large caps are better in the medium to long term. Investors should keep an eye on Q4 results and management comments to pick stocks this results season.“Globally, US markets witnessed modest gains, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite gaining after hitting record highs in the previous session. Sentiments were helped by a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which raised hopes that the worst of the regional conflict is about to end.Despite this, business on Wall Street remained volatile. Investors also reacted cautiously after Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire agreement that could open the door to broader talks.In commodities, oil prices fell in early Asian trade after Trump expressed confidence about securing a permanent ceasefire with Iran before the current ceasefire expires next week. Global benchmark Brent crude fell 1.4% to trade near $98 a barrel, giving up part of the gains recorded in the previous session as geopolitical concerns showed signs of easing.On the institutional front, foreign portfolio investors were net buyers of equities worth Rs 382 crore on Thursday. In contrast, domestic institutional investors sold shares worth Rs 3,428 crore.(Disclaimer: The recommendations and views given by experts on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
