NIFTY50, SENSEX today: Wall Street cues, FII activity, key things to know before markets open on January 5

The Indian equity benchmarks are set to higher on Monday, January 5, as indicated by GIFT NIFTY futures. NIFTY futures at GIFT City in Ahmedabad advanced 85 points to 26,540 amid strong cues from Asian markets.

The NIFTY50 index ended at record high on Friday, January 2, on the back of a broad-based buying interest amid positive cues from Asian markets.

The SENSEX rose as much as 624 points and NIFTY50 index touched an all-time high of 26,332 powered by gains in the index heavyweights like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, NTPC, State Bank of India, Bajaj Finance and Infosys.

US-Venezuela conflict

In a major geopolitical development during the weekend, the United States of America attacked Venezuela and captured its President Nicolás Maduro, with Donald Trump vowing to "run the country" until there is a "proper" transition of power.

According to foreign media reports, Maduro and his wife have been brought to the US, where he has been indicted on drug charges in New York.

Asian markets

Asian markets were trading higher as investors shrugged off consequences of US military action in Venezuela.

In Monday's trade, Japan's Nikkei rose 2.8%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.3%, China's Shanghai Composite gained 0.89% and South Korea's KOSPI jumped 2.5%.

Wall Street update

US stocks eked out small gains on Wall Street Friday in a wobbly day of trading to kick off the new year.

Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.66%, S&P500 advanced 0.2% and tech heavy Nasdaq declined 0.03%.

FII/DII activity

Foreign institutional investors bought shares worth ₹290 crore on Friday while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth ₹677 crore, data from the National Stock Exchange showed.

The FIIs have so far this month sold shares worth ₹7,608 crore, according to the data from National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL).

Stocks to watch

During the weekend, American forces carried out a large military operation in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and taking them to the US to face various charges, including narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. Donald Trump has vowed to "run the country" until there is a "proper" transition of power.

ONGC shares will be in focus as its arm, ONGC Videsh, holds equity stakes in two projects in Venezuela.

Oil India will be in focus as the company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Oil India Sweden AB, owns 50% of the shares in Indoil Netherlands B.V., which in turn holds 7% equity shares in Petrocarabobo S.A. (a joint venture company) for Project Carabobo-1, Venezuela.

RIL shares will be in focus as the conglomerate has been buying Venezuelan oil. However, in March 2025, it was reported that the company may halt Venezuelan oil imports after the United States announced a 25% tariff on nations buying crude from the South American nation.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will be in focus as its subsidiary, IOC Sweden AB, is an investment company for E&P projects in Venezuela and a battery technology company in Israel.

The South American country has plunged into a crisis after the US captured its president, Nicolas Maduro, on Saturday.

"We do export to Venezuela. Pulsar and Boxer are very popular, but these exports are less than 1% of our total exports," Rakesh Shamra, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto, said.

He was responding to a query about the implications for its operations in the country following the capture of Maduro by the US.

The total outstanding credit was ₹11.73 lakh crore at the end of the third quarter of the previous fiscal year, BoB said in a regulatory filing.

The lender reported a 10.25% increase in total deposits to ₹15.47 lakh crore in the reporting quarter against ₹14.03 lakh crore at the end of the third quarter of the previous financial year.

The company has filed an application for registration of Holystone Hospitality Fund as an AIF with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) recently, TFCI said in a regulatory filing.

Besides, the company will also hog the limelight as it issued a clarification regarding the unusual movement in the company's share price/volume on Friday.

In its statement, the company said that it was not aware of any undisclosed material event or development that would warrant such volatility. "The company continues to operate normally and remains focused on execution of its stated strategy," the statement read.

It must be noted that the shares of the company tumbled 20% in Friday's session.

In its press release, the company said it expects Q3 FY26 to be its best-performing quarter to date, driven by continued demand strength and smooth operational execution.

Management remains confident of exceeding its earlier FY26 guidance of ₹335 crore in revenue and ₹100 crore in PAT, supported by operating efficiencies, stable demand, and execution progress.

Bengaluru-based Sobha Ltd sold properties worth ₹1,388.6 crore in the year-ago period.

Trade setup

GIFT NIFTY futures indicate a positive start to the Indian markets on Monday morning, after global markets continued to remain bullish in the New Year. Additionally, the monthly and quarterly business updates for key banking, Automotive, and consumer companies indicate signs of a strong economic recovery. Investors and traders are expected to react to the key monthly business updates.

On the technical charts, the NIFTY50 is showing a strong breakout above the record high levels of 26,328. The downward resistance for the index remains at the 20 SMA level of 26,009. While the upside remains untapped, with a breakout above record high levels. However, owing to some profit booking, the index could stay in a narrow range of trade on Monday.

On the options data front, the 26,000 puts indicate a strong support for the NIFTY50 for the current expiry with the highest open interest data. Similarly, the 26,500 calls hold the highest open interest, indicating a near-term resistance for NIFTY50.