India's BSE Sensex settled marginally higher at 80,597.7 on Thursday, the second session of gains, as strength in IT and consumer durables helped offset sharp losses in the metals and energy sectors. Expectations of rate cuts continued to support market sentiment, further lifted by S&P’s credit rating upgrade for India, backed by policy stability and infrastructure-led growth. However, a stronger sense of caution prevailed ahead of the upcoming Trump-Putin talks on the Ukraine conflict, given potential implications for India-US trade relations. Eternal, Infosys, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finserv and Titan were the major gainers, while Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, Adani Ports and Bharat Electronics posted the biggest declines. Notably, Infosys gained nearly 3% after announcing a joint venture with Australia's telecom and tech player Telstra. For the week, the index added 0.9%. Indian equity markets will remain closed on Friday, August 15, in observance of the Independence Day.