India’s Nifty 50 may open higher on Friday and likely snap its historic five-month losing streak as foreign buying and optimism over a rebound in domestic growth boost sentiment.
However, the threat of reciprocal US tariffs, due to take effect on April 2, will likely keep the lid on gains.
The GIFT Nifty futures were trading at 23,753 as of 7:56 a.m. IST, indicating the blue-chip Nifty 50 will open above Thursday’s close of 23,591.95.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought Indian shares worth 111.11 billion rupees ($1.3 billion) on Thursday, the highest for a day in six months, provisional data showed.
FPIs have been buying in India for six straight sessions after an intense sell-off from late September 2024 when benchmark indexes hit lifetime highs. The benchmarks are still down about 10% from their peak.
Still, market participants believe the worst is over for Indian markets.
Elsewhere in Asia, stocks in Japan and South Korea led the losses as US President Donald Trump’s 25% automobile tariffs weighed.
Indian shares rise as financials gain; US tariff threat drags auto, pharma stocks
The focus will be on global trade as Trump is expected to announce reciprocal tariffs on several trading partners, including India, from April 2.
The reciprocal tariffs will be “very lenient” and “in many cases, less than the tariff they’ve been charging (the US) for decades”, Trump said.
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