Stock markets surge in early trade tracking rally in global peers

Market Performance - Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced significant gains in early trade on October 16, 2025, driven by a rally in global markets and optimism surrounding potential U.S. Fed rate cuts [1][3] - The BSE Sensex rose by 407.67 points to reach 83,013.10, while the NSE Nifty increased by 104 points to 25,427.55 [1] - On the previous day, the Sensex had already climbed 575.45 points or 0.70% to settle at 82,605.43, and the Nifty had gained 178.05 points or 0.71% to close at 25,323.55 [4] Sector Performance - Among the gainers in the Sensex firms were Axis Bank, which climbed 3% following its September quarter earnings announcement, as well as Adani Ports, Titan, Eternal, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tata Motors, and Bharat Electronics [1][2] - Conversely, Infosys, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, and Sun Pharma were identified as laggards in the market [2] Global Market Influence - Asian markets showed positive performance, with South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225, and Shanghai's SSE Composite index trading higher, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was lower [2] - U.S. markets ended mostly higher on October 15, 2025, contributing to the positive sentiment in the Indian markets [2] Foreign Investment Activity - Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth ₹68.64 crore on October 15, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought equities worth ₹4,650.08 crore [4] Economic Outlook - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised India's FY26 GDP forecast to 6.6%, which is expected to boost market sentiment ahead of the Deepavali festival [3]