Stock market: Sensex rises 254 pts, Nifty above 26,000; Tata Steel, BEL lead gainers

Domestic equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty opened on a positive note on Wednesday amid subdued global cues, as gains in heavyweight stocks such as Tata Steel, Bharat Electronics and Adani Ports offset selling pressure in Bajaj Finserv and TCS.

At 9:16 am, the BSE Sensex rose 213.56 points, or 0.25%, to 84,888.64 after rising nearly 254 points in early trade. The NSE Nifty gained 82.05 points, or 0.32%, to 26,020.90, after briefly touching a high of 26,028.

Among Sensex constituents, Tata Steel advanced 2.25% to Rs 179.70. Bharat Electronics (BEL) gained 1.17%, while Adani Ports, Hindustan Unilever and Axis Bank climbed 0.76%, 0.65% and 0.61%, respectively.

Wall Street ended lower overnight as all three major indices closed the session in the red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.20% to 48,367.06, while the S&P 500 fell 0.14% to close at 6,896.24. The tech-savvy Nasdaq Composite edged 0.24% lower to settle at 23,419.08.

Asian markets traded lower on Wednesday. At last check, Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.37% to 50,339.48, while South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.15% to 4,214.17. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged 0.76% lower to 25,657.06.

Aakash Shah, Technical Research Analyst at Choice Equity Broking Private Limited, said Indian equity markets are expected to open flat to marginally higher on Wednesday, the final trading session of 2025, as thin year-end volumes and mixed global cues keep investor activity subdued.

“With several global markets either closed or operating with limited participation, domestic indices are expected to witness range-bound activity and muted volatility. Asian markets are trading mixed, while U.S. markets closed lower in the previous session, indicating a cautious undertone at the open. Stable crude prices and a steady rupee continue to provide underlying support, limiting sharp downside risks,” Shah said.

From a technical perspective, Shah said the 50-pack index remains in a healthy consolidation phase within a broader uptrend. “Immediate support is seen at 25,750–25,800, while resistance is placed near 26,050–26,100. A sustained breakout above resistance could open the path toward 26,200–26,300, whereas failure may keep the index confined to a narrow range,” Shah added.