Indian shares on track for higher open on lower Treasury yields, SEBI relief

Business Recorder reported that Indian shares were set for a firmer opening on Friday, building on the previous session's rebound. Support came from a fall in longer-dated US Treasury yields and a change by the local markets regulator to how expiring derivatives are settled. GIFT Nifty futures traded at 23,082 in early Indian hours, pointing to a positive start for the Nifty 50, which ended Thursday at 22,997.35.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India will now settle expiring stock and index derivatives based on volume-weighted averages over the last 30 minutes of normal trading. It dropped its earlier closing auction plan after traders objected. Jefferies said the move should reduce expiry-day volatility and benefit brokers whose order volumes remain below pre-auction levels. Both the Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex recorded their largest one-day gains in four months on Thursday, helped by a rebound in the global AI trade.

Analysts said the recovery could stay fragile because elevated oil prices and inflation risks may keep investors cautious. Brent crude hovered near $106 per barrel as traders assessed tensions in the Middle East and whether Washington might relax limits on the shadow fleet of tankers. Overseas investors offloaded Indian equities totalling 52.85 billion rupees, or $555.99 million, on Thursday, per provisional figures, and have sold $32.8 billion of shares so far in 2026.