Pharma & Auto sector boost market; Sensex opens over 1300 points higher

Indian benchmark indices opened with a sharp surge on Friday, buoyed by a strong rally in pharma and auto stocks, and boosted by positive global cues. Investor sentiment was significantly uplifted after the White House announced a 90-day pause on certain tariffs, sparking optimism in equity markets across Asia.

At 9:43 am, the S&P BSE Sensex was up by 1,353.59 points, reaching 75,200.74, while the NSE Nifty 50 gained 443.70 points to trade at 22,842.85.

Tata Motors led the rally on the BSE Sensex, climbing 4.25% in early trade. It was closely followed by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, which jumped 3.69%, reflecting robust buying in the pharma segment. Tata Steel showed strong upward momentum with a 3.62% gain, indicating bullishness in the metal space.

Among other top performers, Bajaj Finserv surged 2.56%, while infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro gained 2.55%, contributing significantly to the Sensex's upward move.

However, the gains were not broad-based. A few heavyweight stocks opened in the red. Asian Paints saw the biggest drop among the laggards, slipping 1.10%. Nestlé India dipped 0.41%, while IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was down 0.34%.