**Market Brief: Optimism Returns Ahead of Budget Week** **Current Snapshot** Indian markets have snapped their cautious streak, surging in today's trade. The **Sensex** jumped over **600 points** to reclaim the **82,500** level, while the **Nifty 50** rose nearly **200 points** to trade comfortably above **25,370**. **The Catalyst: Historic India-EU Trade Pact** The primary trigger for today's rally is the conclusion of the landmark **India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA)**. Dubbed the "mother of all deals," this agreement significantly slashes tariffs on key sectors including automobiles (down from **110%** to **10%**), machinery, and wines. This development has provided the exact positive spark strategists were waiting for. **Institutional Flows** * **FIIs:** Foreign Institutional Investors remain net sellers, offloading approximately **₹3,068 crore** in the previous session. * **DIIs:** Domestic investors continue to stabilize the market, buying heavily with inflows exceeding **₹8,999 crore**. **Strategist View** Market veteran Punita Kumar Sinha’s recent assessment appears validated. She argued that the prevailing pessimism was "overdone" and identified the EU trade deal as a critical valuation trigger. With valuations now looking reasonable and the trade pact secured, sentiment is shifting from caution to selective accumulation. **Earnings & Budget Outlook** * **Q3 Earnings:** The season remains mixed. While manufacturing and industrial stocks (like **Havells** and **CEAT**) are shining, consumption themes face headwinds, with **Asian Paints** dropping nearly **6%** on weak numbers. * **Budget 2026:** As the February 1 Union Budget approaches, expectations are pivoting toward a "Build India" theme, emphasizing capital expenditure in infrastructure and defense over broad consumption stimulus. **Key Watch** Traders will now monitor if the FTA optimism can sustain momentum through the pre-budget volatility, specifically tracking if FII outflows begin to reverse in response to the new structural positives. [Budget, earnings revival crucial to lure FIIs back to India](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVRXoB25w2Q) This video features Punita Kumar Sinha discussing the exact market catalysts mentioned in the brief, including the impact of earnings and policy triggers on FII sentiment. http://googleusercontent.com/youtube_content/0