The Sensex and Nifty had ended Thursday in negative territory after giving up their morning gains in a sharp late-session sell-off. The decline came on the first monthly expiry since the introduction of the Closing Auction Session, adding to volatility in the final minutes of trade.

On Friday, investors will closely track Warsh’s address for clues on the direction of US monetary policy. His remarks could influence global risk appetite, bond yields, currency markets and foreign fund flows into emerging markets such as India. Asian equities were subdued in early trade, while US stock futures edged lower as investors reassessed the recent AI-driven rally despite Nvidia’s upbeat outlook.

Back home, several stocks are likely to remain in focus following key corporate developments. Wipro, Lenskart, Tata Motors PV, Ather Energy and Kotak Bank are among the companies investors will track during the session. Infosys and Eternal were among the notable early gainers, rising around 2% each after the market opened.

The IT sector could remain particularly important, with Persistent Systems having gained 31% from its 52-week low at the end of June following its announcement of a $1.4 billion acquisition of Germany-based Nagarro. The BSE Infotech index has risen 10% over the same period.

Investors will also monitor commodity markets. Gold prices remained subdued ahead of the Fed chair’s remarks, while oil prices were headed for a weekly decline after a two-week winning streak. Domestic precious-metal stocks and ETFs could remain sensitive to expectations around import duties and global prices.

This liveblog will track the Sensex and Nifty through the session, covering the opening trend, sectoral movements, key stock action, global market developments, Fed commentary and other factors likely to shape investor sentiment.