Markets snapped a five-session losing streak with a dramatic intraday turnaround on January 12, as optimism around US-India trade negotiations triggered a sharp recovery from three-month lows. The Nifty 50 closed at 25,790.25, up 106.95 points or 0.42 per cent, while the Sensex gained 301.93 points or 0.36 per cent to settle at 83,878.17.
The session began on a weak note with the Nifty opening at 25,669.05 and sliding to an intraday low of 25,473 during morning trade. However, sentiment reversed sharply after 12:00 PM following remarks by newly appointed US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who confirmed that the next round of trade discussions is scheduled for January 13. “The tide turned sharply after 12:00 PM following optimistic remarks from US Ambassador Sergio Gor,” said Nandish Shah, Deputy Vice President at HDFC Securities. “His confirmation that New Delhi and Washington are actively engaged in finalising a trade deal ignited a massive more than 300-point recovery from the day’s lows.”
Metal stocks led the sectoral rally, with the Nifty Metal Index surging over 2 per cent. Coal India emerged as the top gainer on the Nifty 50, jumping 3.39 per cent to ₹432.55. Tata Steel advanced 2.75 per cent to ₹183.30, while Asian Paints rose 2.50 per cent to ₹2,896.20. JSW Steel climbed 2.26 per cent to ₹1,185.00 and Hindalco gained 2.21 per cent to ₹920.90.
On the losing side, Infosys declined 1.02 per cent to ₹1,597.60, while Bajaj Finance fell 1.00 per cent to ₹950.00. Tata Motors shed 1.00 per cent to ₹350.60, Bajaj Auto dropped 0.88 per cent to ₹9,478.50 and Eicher Motors lost 0.85 per cent to ₹7,443.00.
The Nifty Bank closed at 59,450.50, up 198.95 points or 0.34 per cent, after recovering approximately 676 points from an intraday low of 58,864. The Nifty Financial Services Index gained 136.40 points or 0.50 per cent to close at 27,518.50. In contrast, Realty and Media indices shed over 1 per cent.
Broader markets underperformed, with the Nifty Midcap 100 closing marginally lower by 0.05 per cent at 59,717.10 and the Nifty Smallcap 100 falling 0.52 per cent to 17,193.30. Market breadth remained weak, with 1,468 stocks advancing against 2,837 declining on the BSE. Notably, 532 stocks hit 52-week lows compared to just 82 touching 52-week highs.
Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research at Kotak Securities, noted that “from the day’s lowest point, the market bounced back over 300/1,200 points, which is largely positive.” Technical analysts highlighted the formation of a bullish hammer candlestick pattern on the Nifty’s daily chart.
The Indian rupee traded flat near 90.16 against the dollar as markets awaited domestic CPI and WPI data this week. “The rupee has support in the 90.45–90.55 zone, with resistance seen near 89.50,” said Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst at LKP Securities.
Gold prices surged sharply amid heightened geopolitical tensions. MCX gold gained ₹2,600 to trade near ₹1,41,500, while Comex gold jumped approximately $80 to around $4,590. “The rally is being driven by heightened geopolitical risk premiums amid escalating tensions involving the US, Venezuela and now Iran,” Trivedi said.
Looking ahead, market participants will focus on earnings from IT majors TCS and HCL Tech on January 13, along with the outcome of US-India trade discussions. “The outcome of the tomorrow’s trade discussions and upcoming IT company earnings will be key drivers for the market in the near term,” said Abhinav Tiwari, Research Analyst at Bonanza.
Published on January 12, 2026
