Indian benchmark indices opened higher on Saturday, ahead of the Union Budget 2025 announcement. At the start of the day, Sensex gained 57.20 points, or 0.07 per cent, reaching 77,557.77, while the Nifty rose 11.30 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 23,519.70. Of the total shares traded, 1,652 advanced, 540 declined, and 80 remained unchanged.
Major gainers on the Sensex included Sun Pharma, UltraTech Cement, IndusInd Bank, Zomato and Adani Ports. On the other hand, the top losers were Titan, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Bank, Nestle and Asian Paint.
In the previous trading session on Friday, the BSE Sensex closed at 77,500.57, rallying by more than 700 points, while the NSE Nifty50 finished above the 23,500 mark, gaining over 250 points, or more than 1 per cent, during the session.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey for 2024-25 on Friday which projected India’s economy to grow at a rate of 6.3 per cent to 6.8 per cent in the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year (FY26).
V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Service, said, “On the Budget day the market reactions will be quick in response to Budget announcements. A major expectation from the Budget is a cut in personal income tax to provide relief to the middle class and boost consumption, thereby facilitating growth recovery. The extent of the tax relief remains to be seen. The fact is that there is no fiscal space for big relief.”
“The market will be looking for growth stimulating measures; not market-related taxation reliefs like changes in the capital gains taxation. The market response to the Budget will not last more than a few days. Trends in growth and earnings recovery will dictate the medium to long-term market direction,” he added.
US stocks dropped overnight after the White House confirmed Trump’s decision to impose 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10 per cent on Chinese goods. This long-anticipated move has sparked increased uncertainty about inflation and economic growth.