Gift Nifty Signals Mildly Positive Open as Global Markets Slide on Tariff Jitters

The Indian equity market is set for a cautious start on Wednesday, with Gift Nifty trading around 25,297 and indicating a mild premium over the previous Nifty futures close. Volatility is expected to persist after a broad sell-off across global equities in the prior session.

The Sensex and Nifty 50 also closed sharply lower on Tuesday following weakness in overseas markets. Participants are likely to track global cues, commodities, and currency moves through the day.

Gift Nifty and Domestic Indices Snapshot

Gift Nifty hovered near 25,297, showing a premium of nearly 38 points to the earlier Nifty futures close and pointing to a tentative positive bias at the open. The Sensex fell 1,065.71 points, or 1.28%, to finish at 82,180.47 in the last session, while the Nifty 50 declined 353.00 points, or 1.38%, to close at 25,232.50.

These declines reflected heightened risk aversion as investors reacted to external uncertainties. Market breadth and sector trends will be watched closely for signs of stabilisation after the sharp move.

Asian Markets: Follow-Through Weakness

Asian markets traded lower on Wednesday, mirroring the overnight losses on Wall Street. Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 1.28%, while the Topix fell 1.09% amid broad-based declines.

South Korea’s Kospi slipped 1.09% and the Kosdaq weakened 2.2% as technology and growth shares faced pressure. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures also indicated a softer start, suggesting a cautious tone across the region.

US Equities: Worst One-Day Fall Since October 10

US stocks registered their steepest single-day percentage declines since October 10, with risk assets retreating across sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 870.74 points, or 1.76%, to 48,488.59, while the S&P 500 fell 143.15 points, or 2.06%, to 6,796.86.

The Nasdaq Composite dropped 561.07 points, or 2.39%, to close at 22,954.32 as large-cap technology names led losses. Nvidia fell 4.38%, Amazon dropped 3.40%, Apple retreated 3.46%, Microsoft eased 1.16%, and Tesla declined 4.17%.

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Conclusion

Gift Nifty’s modest premium signals a cautiously positive start for domestic equities despite global risk-off cues. The prior session’s declines on the Sensex and Nifty 50 reflected the sharp sell-off abroad and set a volatile backdrop for Wednesday’s trade.

Asian markets’ weakness and the US indices’ steep falls keep external headwinds in focus. Traders are likely to monitor developments around the India–EU trade talks, moves in safe-haven assets, the dollar trajectory, and oil prices for intraday direction.

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