Nifty extended gains for the sixth session, supported by IT and financial stocks. Analysts see bullish momentum with Nifty above 21EMA. Experts recommend HAL, NLC, BEL, Indraprastha Medical, and Waaree Energies as top stock picks for Thursday.

Trump Media and Technology Group announced the filing for five new exchange-traded funds with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation divested its 1.65% stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank for Rs 6,256 crore through block deals, with shares sold at Rs 1,940.8 apiece to various domestic and foreign investors. Kotak Mahindra Bank s shares closed higher, despite trading below key moving averages.

The Swedish buy-now-pay-later company Klarna made its highly anticipated public debut on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, the latest in a run of high-profile initial public offerings this year.

Indian markets closed higher for the sixth straight session, led by IT and financials, while auto stocks dragged. OFSS, IT majors, seafood exporters, textiles surged, whereas CarTrade Tech and JM Financial faced sharp declines.

Gold prices climbed Rs 250 to scale yet another peak of Rs 1,13,000 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday, buoyed by robust buying by central banks globally, a weak dollar, and lingering geopolitical uncertainties.

Sensex climbed 324 points to 81,425 on Wednesday as smallcap stocks outperformed. Eight BSE smallcap firms, including HBL Engineering, Shaily Plastics, GMDC, Maharashtra Scooters, and Prime Focus, touched fresh 52-week highs, signaling bullish momentum and investor confidence.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached intraday record highs following encouraging producer inflation data, fueling expectations of Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts. Oracle s surge further propelled market gains. At the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a slight increase, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite saw more substantial rises.

Several NSE midcap stocks, including Nykaa, P&G Hygiene, FACT, Dixon, GE Vernova T&D, Colgate-Palmolive, and Page Industries, are trading significantly above book value, reflecting strong investor expectations, growth potential, or premium market valuations.

Oracle shares soared about 35% on Wednesday after the company pointed to a demand surge for its cloud services from AI firms, underscoring its deeper push into the backbone of artificial intelligence systems.