Indian shares may open a tad higher on Friday, tracking firm cues from global markets. However, with several global markets shut for holidays, trading volumes are likely to remain thin.
Benchmark indexes Sensex and Nifty ended down around 0.1 percent each on Wednesday as investors booked profits in select heavyweight stocks such as Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank.
Asian stocks edged up in thin holiday trade this morning after the S&P 500 ended higher for a fifth day in a shortened session on Wednesday ahead of the Christmas and Boxing holidays.
Precious metals like gold and silver hovered near record levels, driven by U.S. dollar weakness, escalating geopolitical tensions and expectations for two Federal Reserve rate cuts by the end of 2026.
Oil edged up slightly as investors weighed Venezuela supply risks. The White House has reportedly ordered the U.S. military to focus almost exclusively on enforcing a "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil for at least the next two months.
Elsewhere, Ukraine has widened the scope of its attacks on Russian energy assets, targeting not only crude refineries but also pipelines and other facilities.
On Wall Street, stocks extended their winning streak to a fifth straight session on Wednesday as trading closed early on Christmas Eve.
Underlying sentiment was underpinned after data showed U.S. GDP rose at an annualized rate of 4.3 percent over the third quarter, far higher than the consensus estimate of 3.2 percent.
Unemployment claims fell for the second week in a row even as consumer confidence continued to falter.
The Dow rose 0.6 percent and the S&P 500 added 0.3 percent to reach new record closing highs while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite edged up by 0.2 percent.
European stocks ended Wednesday's shortened trading session on a flat note. The pan European Stoxx 600 rose 0.3 percent to notch a new record closing high.
The German DAX remained closed while France's CAC 40 finished marginally lower and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 slid 0.2 percent.
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Market Analysis
December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.