July 2, 2026, 1:19 PM EDT. Indian shares traded sharply higher Thursday. The Sensex added almost 580 points to 77,502, while the Nifty picked up about 170 points to 24,176, helped by crude oil slipping to $70 a barrel. India VIX fell nearly 8%. Investors looked to the India-Japan Summit-trade, defence and tech deals in play-lifting the IT sector. U.S. payrolls missed forecasts, which eased Fed hike worries and sent Wall Street and European markets up. Charts point to the Nifty making a move toward 24,300-24,500, with 24,000 acting as nearby support. HDFC Bank, Reliance, ICICI Bank and Infosys saw heavy volumes.
