Mumbai, July 30: Domestic equity benchmarks opened on a subdued note on Thursday amid mixed global cues, as gains in information technology and pharma stocks were offset by weakness in banking and realty shares.

Sensex opened at 77,638.86, down 15.74 points or 0.02 per cent, while Nifty opened at 24,249.55, lower by 0.65 points.

Among the sectoral indices, Nifty IT was the top gainer, rising 1.39 per cent, followed by Nifty Pharma, Nifty Healthcare, Nifty MidSmall IT & Telecom, and Nifty Auto, which gained up to 0.54 per cent.

In contrast, Nifty Realty declined 0.80 per cent, followed by Nifty Chemicals, which was down 0.45 per cent, while Nifty Private Bank fell 0.42 per cent.

According to market experts, the Indian market continues to indicate a potential breakout trend, although several global headwinds are limiting the upside momentum.

“The spike in Brent crude prices to near $90 following the escalation of the US-Iran conflict is a strong headwind for markets,” they said.

Experts noted that the US Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged, though widely expected, turned out to be negative for equities as the decision was split 9-3, with three members voting for a rate hike to curb inflation.

However, they believe the Indian market could remain relatively resilient.

Weakness in global chip stocks has prompted foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to shift allocations, with FPIs turning net buyers in Indian equities so far in July.

Brent crude — the international oil benchmark — declined 1.75 per cent to $89.15 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 1.47 per cent to $83.21 per barrel.

Asian stocks traded mixed. Major indices such as the Nikkei, Hang Seng, and KOSPI were up 0.72 per cent, down 0.02 per cent, and lower by 0.57 per cent, respectively.

US stocks ended lower, with the S&P 500 declining 1.52 per cent, while the Nasdaq ended down 1.74 per cent.

Mumbai, July 29: Indian equity markets opened sharply higher on Wednesday, with the benchmark indices gaining nearly 1 per cent each as investors awaited the US Federal Reserve’s policy decision.

Sensex opened at 77,423.77, up 657.85 points or 0.86 per cent, while the Nifty started at 24,176.65, rising 191.30 points or 0.80 per cent.

Sector-wise, most indices traded in the green in early deals, led by Nifty IT which jumped over 2 per cent.

Meanwhile, Nifty MidSmall IT & Telecom gained 1 per cent, followed by Nifty Chemicals (0.99 per cent) and Nifty FMCG (0.81 per cent).

On the downside, Nifty Realty fell 0.39 per cent, while Nifty Oil & Gas slipped 0.15 per cent.

Analysts said global markets remained mixed ahead of the Fed’s policy decision and key corporate earnings, while higher Brent crude prices amid renewed geopolitical tensions could keep commodity prices volatile.

They said the market’s current range-bound trend is likely to break on the upside, supported by fairly valued Nifty stocks, though sustained FII buying would depend on greater clarity over crude oil prices and the progress of the monsoon.

The Fed is widely expected to keep rates unchanged, a move that is already priced into Indian markets and is therefore unlikely to trigger a significant reaction, analysts added.

Additionally, Brent crude rose 4.85 per cent to $88.17 per barrel, while US WTI crude gained 5 per cent to $83.30 per barrel.

Asian markets traded mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei down 2 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng up over 1 per cent and South Korea’s KOSPI falling nearly 9 per cent.

Wall Street ended mixed overnight, with S&P 500 gaining 0.21 per cent while the Nasdaq slipped 0.22 per cent.

New Delhi, July 28: In a significant step towards strengthening railway infrastructure and enhancing network capacity, Indian Railways has sanctioned the upgradation of the electric traction system on the Parbhani-Mudkhed double line section in Nanded division of South Central Railway, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Railways on Tuesday.

The project, which also includes associated power supply installation works, has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 163 crore, converting the existing 1×25 kV electric traction system to a more advanced 2×25 kV system over a stretch of 164 track kilometres, supported by upgraded power supply infrastructure to meet the enhanced electrical load, the statement said.

The Parbhani-Mudkhed section forms part of the strategically important Highly Utilised Network (HUN) Route-9, connecting Ajmer-Indore-Khandwa-Akola-Purna-Mudkhed-Secunderabad-Mahbubnagar-Dhone.

The upgraded traction system will strengthen power supply for train operations, enabling the section to handle higher freight volumes and support the running of Vande Bharat Express trains. It will also contribute to Indian Railways’ goal of achieving 3,000 million tonnes of freight loading by 2029-30, the statement said.

The project is part of the continuing efforts of Indian Railways to modernise electrical infrastructure and improve operational efficiency on high-density corridors across the country.

The country has emerged as the global leader with the largest electrified railway network in the world. With 99.6 per cent electrification of the country’s broad gauge track network, India is second only to Switzerland which has 100 per cent railway electrification, but the network is much smaller, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha earlier this month.

India’s railway network electrification is ahead of China (82 per cent), Spain 67 (per cent), Japan (64 per cent), France (60 per cent) the United Kingdom (39 per cent).

Indian Railways has undertaken one of the fastest railway electrification programmes in the world.

Electrification of the track network on Indian Railways has been taken up in mission mode with a massive 48,072 route km being electrified between 2014-2026. This represents a sharp acceleration compared to the 21,801 route km that was electrified in the 60 years before this period, the minister stated.