Indian equities experienced a mixed session on Wednesday, initially opening lower despite support from ongoing Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) buying and receding tariff concerns. The 30-share BSE Sensex started the day down by 200.11 points, a 0.25% decrease, settling at 80,088.27. Simultaneously, the Nifty 50 began at 24,281.60, marking a 54.35 point increase, or 0.22%. Broader markets also saw a downturn, with the smallcap index underperforming its midcap counterpart. The high beta Bank Nifty index faced a slight dip, influenced by stocks such as SBI, IndusInd Bank, and Federal Bank.

Within the Nifty50 pack, the top gainers in early trading included Dr. Reddy's Labs, Cipla, Tata Consumer Products, TCS, and Titan. Conversely, the top laggards comprised Bajaj twins, Trent, Tata Motors, and SBI. Sectoral performance was varied, with auto, financial services, PSU Bank, and consumer durable gauges trading lower. Conversely, the Realty and pharma sectors led gains, with the realty index increasing by as much as 2.69%.

Stocks in action included Bajaj Finance, which reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 4,480 crore for the quarter ending March 31, a 17.1% increase compared to the previous year. The company also announced bonus shares, a dividend, and a stock split. Trent, a Tata group stock, garnered attention following the release of its March quarter earnings. Trent's standalone net profit for the quarter ending March 2024-25 declined to Rs 350 crore, surpassing estimates of Rs 330 crore.

Asian markets displayed a mixed performance in early Wednesday trading, as investors responded to key economic data. The MSCI Asia ex Japan index rose by 0.42%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 increased by 0.14%, while the Topix added 0.5%. South Korea’s Kospi slipped by 0.6%, while China’s CSI 300 rose by 0.07% after China’s manufacturing activity fell more than expected in April.