Business News Live: Sensex, Nifty rise for 2nd straight day; BEL, RIL among top gainers

Ajit Mishra- SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd: 

"Markets traded with high volatility for yet another session and gained over half a percent as investor optimism returned. The Nifty opened higher on supportive cues and then moved in a range for most of the session, eventually settling near the day’s high at 25,342.75, up by 0.66%. The recovery was broad-based, with buying interest visible across key sectors. Energy, metal and realty stocks were among the top gainers, while defensive names and select consumer stocks lagged. Broader market participation was healthy, as midcap and smallcap indices also posted solid gains, signalling improving market breadth and renewed risk appetite.

Apart from the continued rub-off from the India–EU FTA, positive global cues, including a weaker U.S. dollar and supportive moves in global indices, helped bolster sentiment. Short-covering and renewed buying interest across sectors added to the positive momentum, while company-specific triggers, including notable gains in select heavyweight stocks, further supported the upside.

The Nifty index has settled at a crucial juncture around the 25,350 level, and a decisive breakout could help extend the rebound towards the 25,600 zone. On the downside, the long-term moving average, the 200 DEMA around 25,150, remains critical to hold; a breakdown below this level could see the corrective phase resume. In the current environment of mixed global cues and improving domestic optimism, participants are advised to maintain a selective, stock-specific approach, prioritising sectors showing a steadier trend such as metals and banking, while being selective in others. At the same time, disciplined risk management is essential, given the likelihood of continued volatility in the run-up to the Union Budget."

Bharat Electronics (BEL), Reliance Industries (RIL), Eternal, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Trent, and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) were among the top gainers on Sensex. 

While BEL rose 9.04 per cent, Eternal logged a 5.23 per cent gain on the bourse. Among sectoral indices, the BSE Oil & Gas index rose 4 per cent to close at 28,093.44, whereas the BSE Capital Goods logged 5.38 per cent to settle at 65,629.28. 

Sensex and Nifty continued their upward run for the second consecutive day on January 28 amid optimism around the 'mother of all deals' signed between India and the European Union (EU). 

At close, the Sensex rose 487.20 points, or 0.60 per cent, to settle at 82,344.68, while the Nifty went up by 167.35 points, or 0.66 per cent, to close at 25,342.75. 

The Adani Group firm logged a 50 per cent decline in its net profit to ₹540 crore in Q3 FY2026-27. The firm, however, reported the highest quarterly revenue at ₹6,483 crore, up by 22 per cent year-on-year. 

SBI Life Insurance reported a net profit of ₹576.74 crore for Q3FY26, a 5.5 per cent increase from ₹550.82 crore net profit in the same period last year. The company attributed the growth to improved demand for insurance products after tax changes, higher retail participation and premium inflows. 

Maruti Suzuki's Q3 earnings failed to meet market expectations as weak exports partially offset the strong domestic sales. This was also because of a one-time provision of over ₹593 crore for the new Labour Codes. The automaker's stock is down over 2 per cent to ₹14,938 from the previous close of ₹15,245 on BSE. 

Maruti Suzuki saw an impact of ₹593 crore due to new Labour Codes. 

The automaker reported a rise of 28.7 per cent in its revenue from ₹38,752 crore to ₹49,892 crore due to higher volumes. The firm's net profit rose 3.7 per cent from ₹3,659 crore to ₹3,794 crore, whereas EBITDA went up 10 per cent on-year from ₹5,064 crore to ₹5,572 crore in the quarter ended December 2025.