India’s BSE Sensex closed 0.4% higher at 74,828.3 on Thursday, recovering from the previous session’s losses amid broad-based buying. Sentiment improved on the back of lower crude oil prices and expectations of renewed US–Iran talks, even as persistent foreign portfolio outflows continued to weigh on the market. Foreign investors sold 38.1 billion rupees ($398.6 million) worth of Indian equities on Tuesday, their eighth net selling session in the past nine trading days.
Sector-wise, metals and heavyweight financials led the gains, while IT stocks remained under pressure due to ongoing concerns over demand and earnings. Tata Steel was a standout performer, rising 3.8%, followed by Bajaj Finance, which advanced 3.1% after UBS upgraded the stock and raised its price target on an improved earnings outlook. Other notable gainers included ITC (+1.8%), UltraTech Cement (+1.7%), Power Grid (+1.7%), and L&T (+1.5%). On the downside, the key laggards were HCL Tech (-1.1%), Infosys (-1%), and TCS (-1%).
