Domestic equity benchmarks traded higher in early deals on Thursday after crude oil prices declined up to 1 per cent.

Sensex touched an intraday high of 82,057.39, up 0.38 per cent or 316 points in the morning trade. Nifty was up 0.34 per cent or 86 points at 25,342.

Earlier in the day, the headline indices had opened lower, tracking cautious sentiment across Asian markets.

Sector-wise, Nifty IT was the biggest drag, falling over 1 per cent. Nifty Auto and Nifty Healthcare also declined up to almost 1 per cent.

On the gainers’ side, Nifty PSU Bank rose 0.23 per cent, Nifty Media was up 0.2 per cent and Nifty Consumer Durables added 0.14 per cent.

According to market experts, the Nifty rally of 9.55 per cent in seven trading sessions so far in November is being led primarily by aggressive buying by foreign institutional investors (FIIs).

“The tug of war between FIIs and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) till November saw FIIs on the sell side and DIIs on the buy side,” they said.

Now the positions have been completely reversed, with FIIs turning aggressive buyers and DIIs turning consistent sellers. This FIIs vs DIIs position will set the market trend in the near term, the experts said.

However, FIIs have already invested Rs 65,735 crore in Indian equities so far in November.

“This trend is likely to continue and has the potential to reach an all-time high number. Impressive earnings growth as evidenced by good Q2 results and macro relief from lower crude prices will support the rally. DIIs may continue profit booking, putting brakes on the rally,” the experts said.

Apart from that, an important data point to watch on Thursday will be the October CPI inflation number.

In commodities, Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, traded more than 1 per cent or $1 lower at $91.51 per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also slipped nearly 1 per cent to $85.41 per barrel.

Asian markets traded mixed on Thursday as investors remained cautious amid fresh volatility in Nvidia, the chipmaker at the heart of this year’s AI-driven rally.

Overnight, US markets closed higher on Wednesday as concerns over heavy artificial intelligence spending eased.

India is seen as a credible country that can help in the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine because it is one of few major powers with working relationships with both countries, according to a report in Al Jazeera.

It cited a foreign affairs expert as saying that India’s strategic autonomy puts it in a position to push for peace because New Delhi is “friends with both” sides.

India has also been even-handed. In July, it summoned Moscow’s charge d’affaires to condemn a Russian strike on a merchant vessel that killed 10 people, including four Indian crew members. Days later, it summoned Ukraine’s ambassador over an Indian seafarer killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on the MV Omorfi, the report observes.

It highlights that India is also an importer of goods from both Russia and Ukraine. In the 2025-26, India imported 1.46 million tonnes of sunflower oil from Russia and 443,000 tonnes from Ukraine, according to the Indian Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA), alongside large volumes of Russian crude.

The article cites Maximilian Hess, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, as saying that Zelenskyy approached India “because they have leverage over Moscow, and they are still one of the few major buyers of its oil.”

He added that a large amount of Russian money sits in the Indian financial system, which Moscow wants to keep access to.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, about a third of the world’s grain exports passed through the Black Sea, with Ukraine supplying a tenth of global wheat exports and 15 percent of maize. Disruption hits food-importing countries hardest, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia, the report states.

Indian officials point out that India as a leading voice of the Global South is keen that food exports to these developing nations resume to prevent adequate supplies and controlling rising inflation.

Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have discussed the issue of opening the food corridor over a phone call.

“India is ready to mediate in establishing food corridors, and we are counting on these efforts to continue,” Zelenskyy posted on X after call. The leaders discussed Russia’s blocking of grain exports in the Black Sea, he said.

PM Modi said India was ready to contribute “in every possible way” towards a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, during a visit to Kyiv in September, spoke of a potential pause on strikes against Black Sea shipping and energy infrastructure. On October 4, he said India was talking to both Russia and Ukraine about shipping safety, grain and energy exports and “non-attack possibilities”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha earlier called India’s proposal “the broadest”, because it covers both the Black Sea and energy infrastructure. The US plan offers only a halt to strikes on energy facilities.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) turned net buyers of Indian equities in November, investing Rs 53,739 crore during the first nine days of the month after remaining net sellers for the previous two months, amid improving sentiment towards Indian markets and a global shift away from AI-linked trades.

The latest inflows come after FPIs withdrew Rs 34,843 crore from Indian equities in October and Rs 35,861 crore in September.

Analysts attributed the sharp turnaround to an AI-driven sell-off across major global markets, including the US, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, which prompted investors to reassess their allocations.

According to analysts, concerns over data centre spending linked to artificial intelligence triggered a correction in AI-focused markets, leading global investors to seek opportunities in sectors and markets less exposed to the AI theme.

India, widely viewed as a non-AI trade, emerged as one of the preferred destinations for foreign investors during this period.

Apart from the change in global investment trends, India’s strong corporate earnings growth and attractive valuations in large-cap stocks also enhanced the market’s appeal.

Analysts noted that foreign investors were particularly active in index heavyweights, with financial services, information technology, automobile and telecom stocks attracting significant inflows.

Data from depositories showed that the Rs 53,739 crore infusion was recorded between November 2 and November 9, covering six trading sessions.

Despite the strong buying in November, cumulative FPI outflows from Indian equities in 2026 remain substantial at Rs 2.41 lakh crore.

In the debt market, foreign investors invested Rs 7,759 crore through the Fully Accessible Route (FAR).

However, they pulled out Rs 591 crore through the Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) and withdrew another Rs 270 crore through the general route.

Market participants believe sustained earnings growth and reasonable valuations in large-cap stocks could continue to support foreign investment flows into Indian equities in the near term, although global macroeconomic developments and investor sentiment towards risk assets will remain key factors to watch.