Indian stocks began Friday on a positive note, with the Nifty 50 marking its eighth consecutive session of gains. This surge mirrored global market trends, spurred by encouraging U.S. jobs data that softened concerns about higher inflation. Renewed hopes for Federal Reserve rate cuts and optimism surrounding a potential resurgence in India-U.S. trade relations further bolstered market sentiment.

Indian equities opened higher on Friday, with the Nifty 50 extending its winning run to an eighth straight session, mirroring by global gains after softer U.S. jobs data helped offset a hotter-than-expected inflation print, fueling bets of Federal Reserve rate cuts, while optimism over a potential revival in India-U.S. trade also underpinned sentiment.

The S&P BSE Sensex rose 196.70 points, or 0.24%, to 81,745.43 at the open, while the NSE Nifty 50 gained 65.50 points, or 0.26%, to 25,071.

On the 30-stock Sensex, Infosys, Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Steel and Axis Bank were the top gainers, rising between 0.6% and 2%.

The IT index climbed roughly 1%, led by a 2% jump in Infosys after the company approved its largest-ever share buyback of $2.04 billion, or Rs 1,800 per share, a premium of about 19.2% over its last close.

Lower U.S. interest rates have made emerging markets like India more appealing to foreign portfolio investors, as Treasury yields and the dollar tend to weaken under such conditions.

Meanwhile, the broader small-cap and mid-cap segments, more closely tied to domestic demand, rose 0.4% each.