Indian equity markets opened higher on Friday, January 16, 2026, supported by a sharp rally in information technology stocks and positive global cues from the US markets. Early gains in IT stocks provided firm support to benchmarks, with Infosys leading the advance and influencing overall market direction.
Both the Sensex and Nifty traded in positive territory during early deals. The market strength came as investors tracked global cues, corporate earnings and IPO-related updates.
The 30-share BSE Sensex opened higher at 83,670 and briefly moved above the 83,700 mark soon after the opening. At around 9:27 am, the Sensex was trading at 83,620.80, up 238.09 points, or 0.29 percent.
The early gains in the Sensex were driven by IT, banking and select heavyweight stocks, with investor interest returning to large-cap names, lending support to the index.
The NSE Nifty 50 also opened higher at 25,696 and crossed the 25,700 level shortly after the start of trade. At around 9:28 am, the Nifty was trading near 25,726, up 60.40 points, or 0.24 percent.
The IT sector emerged as the top-performing sector in early trade. Infosys shares surged by nearly 5 percent in early deals. Improved quarterly results and outlook-related sentiment around the company supported buying across the IT sector, lifting the IT index.
US equity markets closed higher on Thursday, supported by gains in technology and banking stocks. The Dow Jones rose 0.6 percent, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.26 percent and the Nasdaq gained 0.25 percent.
US market sentiment was also aided by labour market data. Weekly jobless claims for the week ended January 10 stood at 1.98 lakh, compared with market expectations of 2.15 lakh, indicating continued resilience in employment conditions.
Asian markets showed a mixed trend in early trade on Friday. China’s CSI 300 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index were trading more than 0.5 percent higher, while Japan’s Nikkei and South Korea’s Kospi were marginally lower.
Investor attention also remained on the semiconductor sector after a major trade agreement between the US and Taiwan, under which Taiwanese chip companies will invest at least $250 billion to expand manufacturing capacity in the US in return for tariff relief.
Market participants are tracking several December quarter results scheduled for release on Friday. Reliance Industries, Wipro and Tech Mahindra are set to announce their quarterly earnings. Tata Technologies, Federal Bank, Central Bank of India, L&T Finance, Polycab India and Leela Palaces Hotels and Resorts are also due to report results.
In the IPO segment, the subscription window for the Amagi Media Labs mainboard IPO closes on Friday. In the SME segment, the Aritas Vinyl IPO opens for subscription, while GRE Renew Energitech, Indo SMC and Narmadesh Brass Industries see the final day of bidding. Shares of Defrrel Technologies are scheduled to list on the stock exchanges on Friday.
