Benchmarks off-highs, Sensex up 500 pts, Nifty above 25,800; IT index zooms 3%

Indian stock markets were trading with strong gains on Friday, led by information technology (IT), banking, and capital market-related shares.

Infosys (up nearly 5 per cent), Tech M, HCL Tech, M&M, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Kotak Bank, Adani Ports, and NTPC were among the top Sensex gainers today.

On the downside, Eternal, Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel, BEL, Asian Paints, Maruti Suzuki, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank were the top losers.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap index advanced 0.56 per cent, and the Nifty SmallCap index 0.13 per cent.

Among sectors, the Nifty IT index, and the Nifty Capital Markets index climbed 2.5 per cent each, the Nifty Realty index 1.5 per cent, and the Nifty PSU Bank index 1.4 per cent. The Nifty Bank index, meanwhile, added 0.6 per cent.

Q3 results today

It is a busy day for corporate results, with heavyweights Reliance Industries, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra slated to report their December quarter earnings. Other notable companies reporting today include Tata Technologies, Federal Bank, Central Bank of India, L&T Finance, Polycab India, and Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts. Additionally, the market will continue to digest results from Infosys and L&T Technology Services, which were released on Wednesday after market hours and on Thursday.