Stock market today (AI image)

Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmarks, opened in red on Friday. While Nifty50 went below 25,300, BSE Sensex was down over 500 points. At 9:16 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 25,274.65, down 144 points or 0.57%. BSE Sensex was at 82,056.49, down 510 points or 0.62%.Analysts expect stock-specific movements to take centre stage as investors position themselves ahead of the Union Budget. Global and domestic market cues point to a cautious, rangebound trading environment.US equities ended lower on Thursday, as concerns over corporate earnings and uncertainty around heavy investments in artificial intelligence weighed on sentiment. The S&P 500 and the tech-focused Nasdaq slipped after investors questioned whether massive AI-related spending by large technology firms would translate into sustainable returns.Early on Friday, futures linked to the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 were down about 0.2 per cent. Technology stocks remained in focus after Apple flagged that rising component costs could pressure its margins, despite reporting earnings that beat market expectations. The stock posted marginal gains in extended trade, while Asian markets opened slightly higher.Back home, foreign portfolio investors continued to trim exposure, selling equities worth Rs 394 crore on Thursday, according to provisional data. In contrast, domestic institutional investors provided support to the market, purchasing shares valued at Rs 2,639 crore.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)