Domestic benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty opened higher on Thursday, tracking upbeat cues from global markets, supported by gains in heavyweight stocks such as SBI, Eternal and UltraTech Cement amid uncertainty over the US-Iran war.

At 9:18 am, the BSE Sensex gained 90.82 points, or 0.12%, to 78,049.34, after rising as much as 380 points in early trade, while the NSE Nifty advanced 39.20 points, or 0.16%, to 24,370.15, briefly touching a high of 24,423.35.

Among Sensex constituents, State Bank of India (SBI) gained 0.94% to Rs 1105.90. UltraTech Cement rose 0.91%, while Eternal, Trent, and M&M climbed 0.90%, 0.86% and 0.70%, respectively.

The see-saw political game in West Asia has been ongoing for some time, and crude prices have followed suit, said VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Ltd, noting that the market is swinging between hope and fear, which could continue until the crisis is resolved definitively.

“The market is rewarding good results and punishing poor results in the ongoing Q4 results season. There are positive results across market caps," Vijayakumar said.

Asian & US markets

Broader Asian markets traded mostly higher today. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was trading 5.72% higher at 62,915.87, while South Korea’s Kospi edged down 0.18% to 7,371.27. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.31% to 26,557.75. 

Wall Street ended on a positive note overnight, with all three major indices closing in the green. The S&P 500 gained 1.46% to close at 7,365.12, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.24% to end at 49,910.59. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.02% to settle at 25,838.94.

On the domestic front, lower energy prices and supportive global cues are helping to mitigate near-term macro headwinds, reinforcing a positive tone, said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.

“However, while sentiment has turned more optimistic, investors remain cautious and closely attuned to incoming developments—particularly Iran’s response and any renewed volatility in oil prices or geopolitical conditions,” Ponmudi added.

Previous session

In the previous session on Wednesday, the Sensex climbed 940.73 points, or 1.22%, to settle at 77,958.52, while the Nifty jumped 298.15 points, or 1.24%, to close at 24,330.95.