Nifty 50 opens in the green after gaining over 89 points in the pre-opening. On Friday, Indian indices closed higher after rising in the morning session. FIIs bought shares worth Rs 1,830.9 crore, while DIIs bought shares worth Rs 5,722.9 crore.
 
Nifty Midcap 100 & Nifty Smallcap 100 open in the green, following the benchmark index. BSE Tech Sector and Nifty IT open higher. 

Major US indices closed in the green on Friday, while European indices closed mixed. Asian indices are trading higher. Nike declined over 10% on Friday after the company reported a 300 basis-point decline in gross margins to 40.6%, driven by higher product costs and inventory obsolescence. Meanwhile, the NASDAQ Composite index rose roughly 0.5%, helped by a recovery in heavyweight technology and semiconductor stocks.

• Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals is rising as 72.8 lakh shares (4.6% stake), worth Rs 311.5 crore, reportedly change hands in a block deal at an average price of Rs 428 per share.

• BSE announces its semi-annual index reconstitution, effective today. The reshuffle impacts key indices, including the Sensex, where InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) replaces Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles following the demerger of Tata Motors’ commercial and passenger vehicle businesses. The BSE 500 also sees significant changes, with 32 additions and 32 deletions, with ITC Hotels and Reliance Power entering the index.

  #IndiGo #shares in focus as firm enters Sensex today; replaces #TataMotors PV#ETMarkets https://t.co/UwlUcPdQo7

  — ETMarkets (@ETMarkets) December 22, 2025

• Dilip Buildcon rises as it emerges as the lowest bidder for a 1,363.6 MW grid-connected solar project awarded by Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam. The project offers an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) opportunity of about Rs 4,900 crore, with power sold to Madhya Pradesh Power Management Co under a 25-year power purchase agreement.

• Indian Hotels Co is rising as it enters a binding agreement to sell its entire 25.5% stake in Taj GVK to the GVK-Bhupal family for Rs 592 crore. Post-deal, the GVK-Bhupal family’s stake will rise to about 75%.

• John Cockerill India is rising as it plans to acquire a 100% stake in John Cockerill Metals International SA, Belgium, for about €50 million (around Rs 525 crore). The acquisition aims to consolidate and strengthen the John Cockerill Group’s metal business operations.

• JM Financial initiates coverage on GMR Airports with a 'Buy' rating and a target price of Rs 120. The brokerage believes Indian aviation is set for strong growth, supported by rising incomes and higher leisure spending. It highlights a robust pipeline of new airport projects, a healthy aircraft delivery order book, and expectations of sharp growth in both domestic and international passenger traffic.

  'Indian #Aviation on the cusp of strong growth': JM Financial expects #GMRAirports shares to rise 19%@ShlokaBadkar https://t.co/fGIJfUzgLA

  — CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) December 22, 2025

• Craftsman Automation is rising as its subsidiary, DR Axion, plans to acquire Suprash Developers & Srikara Tech for Rs 145.8 crore to buy 52.8 acres of industrial land at Araneri Village in Sriperumbudur Taluk, Kancheepuram district, for a new manufacturing plant.

• GE Vernova T&D India surges as it receives a 2,500-megawatt power transmission order from AESL Projects for the Khavda–South Olpad project.

• Tata Chemicals is rising as its wholly owned subsidiary, Tata Chemicals International (TCIPL), plans to acquire Singapore-based Novabay for €25 million (around Rs 262 crore) to strengthen its capabilities in premium-grade products.

• Morgan Stanley downgrades Titagarh Rail Systems to an 'Equalweight' rating and a lower target price of Rs 771. The brokerage attributes its cautious stance to weak freight demand and limited backlog visibility, noting that the stock has underperformed the Sensex by 21% over the past three months. While freight supports near-term earnings, the ~9,047-wagon order book provides visibility only through H1 FY27, making fresh passenger orders critical.

  #BrokerageRadar | Morgan Stanley on Titagarh Rail Systems: Target price ?771 (from ?1,017); Rating: Equal-weight (downgraded)#TITAGARH #StockMarket pic.twitter.com/4NJZ6rPvXe

  — ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) December 22, 2025

• Concord Control Systems surges to its 5% upper limit as its wholly-owned subsidiary, Advanced Rail Controls, secures an order worth Rs 139.3 crore from Indian Railways to supply, install and commission the Loco wireless control system.

• Granules India is rising as its subsidiary receives tentative approval from the US FDA for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Amphetamine Extended-Release Orally Disintegrating tablets. The drug is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has an estimated market size of approximately $172 million, according to IQVIA.

• Fortis Healthcare rises as its subsidiary, International Hospital, plans to acquire a 125-bedded People Tree Hospital in Bengaluru, for Rs 430 crore, through the acquisition of TMI Healthcare. The deal includes a 0.8-acre adjacent land parcel, enabling expansion to over 300 beds, with an additional Rs 410 crore investment planned over the next three years.

• Varun Beverages is rising as its board of directors approves acquiring a 100% stake in South Africa's Twizza Proprietary at an enterprise value of ZAR 2.1 billion (~Rs 11,187 crore). The company will carry out the acquisition through its subsidiary, The Beverages Co Proprietary.

• Nifty 50 was trading at 26,093.90 (127.5, 0.5%), BSE Sensex was trading at 85,289.88 (360.5, 0.4%), while the broader Nifty 500 was trading at 23,786.80 (109.3, 0.5%).

• Market breadth is highly positive. Of the 2,172 stocks traded today, 1,698 showed gains, and 411 showed losses.

Riding High:

Largecap and midcap gainers today include GE Vernova T&D India Ltd. (3,211.60, 9.7%), Infosys Ltd. (1,676.10, 2.3%) and Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (601.50, 2.2%).

Downers:

Largecap and midcap losers today include Siemens Energy India Ltd. (2,645.40, -3.7%), MphasiS Ltd. (2,833.90, -2.0%) and Cholamandalam Investment & Finance Company Ltd. (1,625.40, -1.4%).

BSE 500: highs, lows and moving averages

14 stocks overperformed with 52 week highs,

Stocks touching their year highs included - Ashok Leyland Ltd. (177.01, 2.0%), Federal Bank Ltd. (269.30, 0.5%) and Hindalco Industries Ltd. (864.50, 1.5%).

15 stocks climbed above their 200 day SMA including Steel Authority of India (SAIL) Ltd. (128.62, 2.2%) and Engineers India Ltd. (202.10, 1.5%). 1 stock slipped below their 200 SMA including Blue Star Ltd. (1,788, 0.4%).