Sensex off day’s high, Nifty tests 26,250; VIX down 4%; Auto shares in fast lane

Benchmark indices — BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty — turned positive on Friday, erasing morning losses, amid ‘buying on dips’.

Investors are looking forward to the Q2FY26 GDP data, scheduled to be released later today, to gauge the economic health.

At 12:30 PM, BSE Sensex was trading 67.41 points or 0.08 per cent higher at 85,787.79. In comparison, BSE Sensex was trading at 26,225.85, up 10.30 points or 0.04 per cent.

Buying in shares of M&M, Tech M, Reliance Industries, Titan Company, SBI, Maruti Suzuki, HUL, Tata Motors PV, and Sun Pharma helped trim losses on the Sensex.

However, losses in Asian Paints, Power Grid, Adani Ports, Axis Bank, Infosys, Eternal, HDFC Bank, and Tata Steel capped the upside.

Both the indices hit fresh all-time highs on Thursday in the intraday trade, surpassing the 86,000-mark (Sensex) and 26,300 level (Nifty) for the first time.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap index is flat and the Nifty SmallCap index is lower by 0.2 per cent.

Among sectors, the Nifty Auto index advanced 0.5 per cent, followed by the Nifty FMCG index (0.16 per cent), and the Nifty Metal index (0.13 per cent).

On the flipside, the Nifty Private Bank index fell 0.15 per cent.