GIFT NIFTY futures traded at GIFT City in Gandhinagar indicated a flat opening for Indian equity benchmarks, rising 10 points to 23,129. The advance came amid weak global cues, with sentiment shaken after crude oil surged worldwide. Foreign institutional investors bought shares worth ₹1,165.92 crore on Friday, while domestic institutional investors sold shares worth ₹3,661 crore, reflecting divergent flows in the market.

The benchmarks surged for a second straight session on Friday as sentiment remained stable, tracking a decline in crude oil and a positive trend in other global markets. The SENSEX ended 414 points higher at 74,729, while the NIFTY50 index advanced 149 points to close at 23,146. Meanwhile, most Asian markets traded lower, with Japan's Nikkei falling 1.01%, China's Shanghai Composite slipping 0.24%, and South Korea's KOSPI index dropping 0.5%.

Brent crude futures declined as much as 1.9% but remained close to $108 per barrel after U.S. President Donald Trump waived sanctions and tariffs on Russia, potentially increasing Russian fuel exports. Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving key sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act, following a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to export diesel to the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that these actions would hurt Ukraine.

Brent crude oil briefly touched $110 a barrel on Friday for the first time since May, as tensions and security threats in the Middle East raised concerns over shipping safety and tighter global energy supplies. The spike in crude prices contributed to the muted sentiment in Indian markets, with most Asian indices falling amid the global oil rally.

Back home, foreign institutional investors bought shares worth ₹1,165.92 crore on Friday while domestic institutional investors sold shares worth ₹3,661 crore. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, YES Bank, and Axis Bank will be on investors' radar as they react to their September quarter earnings announced on Saturday. As per the BSE, 35 companies are slated to announce their September quarter (Q2 FY27) earnings today, including Bajaj Finance, UltraTech Cement, Hindustan Zinc, Union Bank of India, Piramal Finance, LT Technology Services, HFCL, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency, Sobha, and Waaree Renewable Technologies, among others.