Sensex Opens Above 79,000, Nifty Rises Ahead of RBI Policy Decision; Realty, Auto Stocks Lead Gains

On Wednesday, Indian shares kicked off higher ahead of the RBI’s policy announcement, with the main index gaining nearly 1% amid upbeat global signals.

The Sensex began trade at 79,055.38, climbing more than 600 points (about 0.8%), and the Nifty opened 54 points higher, up 0.22% at 24,669.20.

Sectorally, realty, auto, energy and PSU banking shares led the advance, with Nifty Realty, Nifty Auto, Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Oil & Gas each rising up to 2%; Nifty Metal, Nifty Cement and Nifty Chemicals also posted modest gains.

Conversely, healthcare and pharma stocks faced early‑session selling, pulling Nifty Healthcare, Nifty Pharma, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Private Bank down nearly 1%.

Among the biggest decliners on the Nifty were Apollo Hospitals, Sun Pharma, Cipla, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, SBI Life, Nestlé India, ITC and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

Analysts noted that Brent crude’s drop below $80 and a record close in U.S. markets bode well for Indian equities today.

“Today’s market focus will be the monetary policy. The central bank is expected to keep rates unchanged, as any hike could dampen the current growth momentum,” analysts added.

Experts also highlighted the economy’s growth resilience, rising corporate earnings and foreign institutional investors buying for six straight sessions as supportive factors, suggesting the market may be set for an upside breakout.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.61% to roughly $78 a barrel, while U.S. WTI crude slipped about 2% to $74.24 per barrel.