Stock Market: Sensex down 500 points; Nifty 50 opens below 25,300

New Delhi: The Indian equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty opened in the red on Friday. The Nifty 50 went below 25,300, while the BSE Sensex was down over 500 points. 

What about morning trading?

In morning around 9:55 am, the Nifty was trading at 25,301.85 down 117.05 points or 0.46 per cent and BSE Sensex was trading at 82,231.24, down 335.13 points or 0.41 per cent.

And at around 11 am, BSE Sensex was trading 337.93 points or 0.41 per cent lower at 82,228.44 and Nifty 50 was trading at 25,304.9, down 114 points or 0.45 per cent.

What do experts say?

According to the analyst, stocks may take centre stage as investors position themselves ahead of the Union Budget to be presented on February 1.

Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited, Dr. VK Vijayakumar,  said that "Geopolitical issues continue to plague global trade with continuous threats of tariff weaponisation by Trump."

According to Vijayakumar the spike in Brent crude to near $70 is a "headwind for Indian macros in general and industries that use oil as inputs, in particular."

"However, these headwinds are likely to be countered by the positive message from the Economic Survey that projects GDP growth of 6.8 to 7.2 per cent growth in FY 27," he further said. 

On Thursday, the Economic Survey 2026 had projected the GDP growth at 7.4 per cent for FY26 and 6.8 to 7.2 per cent for FY27.

The analyst further said that "With 3.5 per cent headline inflation, India is headed for around 10 per cent nominal GDP growth in FY27. This has the potential to deliver 15 to 17 per cent earnings growth in FY 27, imparting resilience to the market." 

"The steady decline in FPI outflows during the last two days indicate a possible change in FPI strategy. Another significant trend is India’s success in diversification of its export market away from the US to other markets. From early 2027 onwards this trend will gain momentum with the India- EU trade deal getting implemented. Overall, at this juncture, tailwinds are stronger than headwinds and this is positive for markets in the medium to long-term," Vijayakumar added.

IndiGo, BEL and ITC emerged as early gainers in BSE, and Tata Steel, Eternal and M&M weighed on the index.