India: Stocks Edge Higher in Early Trade.

The BSE Sensex rose 70 points, or 0.1%, to 81,844 in morning trade on Thursday, halting losses from the previous session. The index was mainly supported by gains in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, which climbed 1.2% and 1.1% respectively, after the Trump administration clarified it is not planning to impose tariffs on generic drugs imported from foreign countries. The tech sector also advanced, up 0.4%, buoyed by news that SoftBank-backed Graphcore plans a $1.3 billion chip investment in India, and ahead of key quarterly earnings. The broader index tracked gains on Wall Street overnight, which were driven by strong performances in tech and growing hopes that the Fed could implement further rate cuts this year. However, upside momentum was capped by losses in auto and banking stocks. Traders were also cautious ahead of TCS’s earnings report, due after market close today. Among early gainers were Tata Steel (2.5%), HCL Tech (1.5%), and Sun Pharmaceutical (1.3%).