Indian equity benchmark indices opened slightly higher on Friday, reflecting overnight gains from Wall Street and an optimistic outlook in Asian markets. The global momentum provided support to the domestic indices, which showed modest improvement in early trading hours.
Most Asia-Pacific markets followed a positive trajectory, with Chinese stocks leading the region’s gains. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index jumped by 2.43%, while the Shanghai Composite rose by 1.3%, driven by investor optimism surrounding China’s economic outlook.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 increased by 0.33%, although the broader Topix index registered a minor loss of 0.23%. Meanwhile, South Korea’s Kospi fell slightly by 0.07%, accompanied by a 0.15% drop in the smaller Kosdaq. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 inched up 0.06%, continuing a cautious upward trend.
Global Markets Reach New Heights
Globally, stock markets achieved new milestones on Thursday, bolstered by a positive earnings outlook from Micron Technology, a leading chipmaker. This surge in optimism propelled major indices to record highs. The S&P 500 hit an all-time closing peak, and Europe’s STOXX 600 index followed suit with a fresh record close. MSCI’s global stock index also reached an intraday high, underscoring the broad-based rally in global equities.