Stock market today: Nifty50 ends near 25,700; BSE Sensex up over 150 points

Stock market today: Sensex and Nifty closed higher on Friday, snapping a two-day losing streak, as a sharp rally in Infosys boosted overall market sentiment after the IT major raised its revenue growth guidance for FY26.The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 187.64 points, or 0.23 per cent, to end at 83,570.35. During intraday trade, the index surged as much as 752.26 points, or 0.90 per cent, to touch 84,134.97. The broader NSE Nifty rose 28.75 points, or 0.11 per cent, to settle at 25,694.35.Infosys emerged as the top gainer on the Sensex, jumping 5.67 per cent. The Bengaluru-based firm reported an 8.9 per cent rise in revenue from operations to Rs 45,479 crore in the third quarter of the current fiscal, compared with Rs 41,764 crore in the same period last year. The company also raised its FY26 revenue growth guidance to 3-3.5 per cent in constant currency terms from the earlier 2-3 per cent.Other major gainers included Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, State Bank of India, UltraTech Cement and HDFC Bank. On the other hand, Eternal, Asian Paints, Bharat Electronics, Sun Pharma and Maruti ended the session lower.Commenting on the market movement, Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said, "The equity markets witnessed positive momentum during the session, driven by better Q3 results from IT and mid-segment banking stocks. However, profit-booking towards the close capped the rally, resulting only in marginal gains for the market.The IT sector outperformed, supported by an upward revision in revenue growth projections from a leading industry bellwether, coupled with expectations of increased technology spending."In a separate development, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Thursday that India and the US are "very near" to finalising the trade agreement, adding that it would be announced once both sides are ready. He noted that negotiating teams from both countries are discussing virtually all outstanding issues.On the institutional front, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 4,781.24 crore on Wednesday, while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth Rs 5,217.28 crore, as per exchange data. Stock markets were shut on Thursday due to the Maharashtra civic polls.In overseas markets, South Korea’s Kospi index ended higher, while Japan’s Nikkei 225, China’s SSE Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index closed lower. European markets were trading in the red, while US markets finished higher on Thursday.Meanwhile, Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 1.05 per cent to USD 64.43 per barrel.On Wednesday, the Sensex had declined 244.98 points, or 0.29 per cent, to close at 83,382.71, while the Nifty slipped 66.70 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 25,665.60.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)