Stock market today: Nifty50 ends above 25,300; BSE Sensex up over 480 points

Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmarks, closed in green on Wednesday, gaining support from the India-EU FTA conclusion. Market sentiment was supported by gains in several heavyweight stocks. The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 487.20 points, or 0.60 per cent, to close at 82,344.68, after rising as much as 646.49 points during the session. The NSE Nifty also ended higher, gaining 167.35 points, or 0.66 per cent, to settle at 25,342.75.Bharat Electronics climbed nearly 9 per cent following its December quarter earnings. Eternal, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Trent, Mahindra and Mahindra, and UltraTech Cement also posted solid advances.On the downside, Asian Paints slid more than 4 per cent after reporting a 4.83 per cent year-on-year fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,073.92 crore for the December quarter of FY26, citing exceptional items related to the implementation of new Labour Codes and impairment losses in a subsidiary. Maruti, Sun Pharma, Infosys and Bharti Airtel were among the other stocks that ended lower.Investor optimism was underpinned by the India-EU free trade agreement announced on Tuesday, described as the "mother of all deals". The pact aims to create a market of two billion people, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior EU leaders unveiling a five-year roadmap focused on trade and defence cooperation to support the rules-based global order. Officials said the agreement would lower tariffs on 99 per cent of Indian exports to the EU and cut duties on over 97 per cent of EU exports to India, together accounting for nearly a quarter of global GDP.Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers, offloading equities worth Rs 3,068.49 crore on Tuesday. However, domestic institutional investors provided support by purchasing shares worth Rs 8,999.71 crore, according to exchange data."Indian equity markets closed the session on a positive note, supported by improving global cues and renewed optimism on the external trade front following the successful conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between India and the European Union," said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.Asian markets ended mostly higher, with South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225, Shanghai's SSE Composite and Hong Kong's Hang Seng all closing in the green. European equities were trading lower, while US markets finished mostly higher overnight.In commodities, Brent crude slipped 0.62 per cent to $67.25 per barrel.In the previous session, the Sensex had risen 319.78 points, or 0.39 per cent, to close at 81,857.48, while the Nifty added 126.75 points, or 0.51 per cent, to end at 25,175.40.(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)