The Indian stock market is gearing up for a positive start to the trading week on Monday, January 5, mirroring upbeat sentiment across Asian markets. This optimism follows significant geopolitical developments over the weekend, where the United States launched military action against Venezuela and detained its President, Nicolas Maduro.
Market Indicators Signal Bullish Momentum
The Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Indian market, was trading at 26,542, marking a gain of 76 points or 0.29% from the previous close of Nifty futures. This points towards a firm opening for the domestic benchmark indices. The positive cues come on the back of a record-breaking session on Friday, January 2, where both the Sensex and Nifty 50 ended at historic highs.
Driven by broad-based buying and growing optimism ahead of the third-quarter corporate earnings season, the Sensex surged 573 points, or 0.67%, to settle at 85,762.01. The Nifty 50 index soared to an all-time intraday high of 26,340 before closing at a fresh peak of 26,328.55, up 182 points or 0.70%.
"Markets powered to fresh records as strong Q3 updates fuelled broad-based buying," said Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research) at Mehta Equities Ltd. He highlighted that Nifty and Bank Nifty scaled new all-time highs, with PSU and private banking indices also hitting lifetime peaks. The bullish momentum created quality stock-specific opportunities, with companies like L&T, Hindalco, SBI, Reliance Industries, and Bharti Airtel advancing strongly.
Key Stocks to Watch on January 5
Against this dynamic backdrop, several stocks are likely to attract significant investor attention and experience price movement during Monday's session.
ONGC: The state-owned oil explorer will remain in focus due to the US attacks on Venezuela, a major oil producer. Any resulting volatility in global crude oil prices is expected to directly influence sentiment towards the stock. ONGC holds overseas interests through its subsidiary, ONGC Videsh Ltd.
DMart (Avenue Supermarts): The retail giant posted a robust 13% year-on-year increase in standalone revenue from operations for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, reaching ₹17,613 crore. This strong operational performance is likely to boost trader and investor confidence on Dalal Street.
Bajaj Finance: The leading non-banking financial company (NBFC) reported a 15% year-on-year growth in new loans disbursed during the December quarter, with the count rising to 1.39 crore from 1.21 crore in the same period last year.
Bajaj Auto: The automaker clarified that its exports to Venezuela constitute less than 1% of its total international shipments. This statement comes as the South American nation faces a crisis following the US action against its president.
NTPC: The power major announced on Friday that it is in discussions to acquire a minority stake in US-based nuclear fuel technology company, Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE).
Other Notable Corporate Updates
Marico reported a stable operating performance for the December quarter, aided by strong demand. Yes Bank saw its loans and advances grow 5.2% year-on-year to ₹2,57,508 crore as of December 31, 2025. Vedanta announced record-high output across several business segments for the third quarter. Hindustan Zinc achieved its highest-ever third-quarter mined metal production of 276 kt. IDBI Bank posted a 12% year-on-year growth in total business, which stood at ₹5.47 lakh crore.
The confluence of strong domestic earnings previews, record-high market levels, and evolving global geopolitical events sets the stage for a volatile yet opportunity-rich trading day. Investors are advised to monitor these stock-specific triggers alongside broader market trends.
