Jan 1 (Reuters) - India's equity benchmarks opened marginally higher in the first session of 2026, with investors awaiting monthly business updates from corporates for cues on earnings.
The Nifty 50 index rose 0.24% to 26,192.1, while the BSE Sensex index also gained 0.24% to 85,409.1, as of 9:17 a.m. IST.
Liquidity is likely to remain thin, with most global markets closed for the New Year holiday.
Thirteen of the 16 major sectors advanced at the open, but the gains were marginal.
The auto index gained 0.5% ahead of monthly sales data for December, which is likely to show the impact of tax cuts on sales.
The broader small-caps and mid-caps opened flat.
Cigarette makers ITC and Godfrey Phillips fell 2% and 4%, respectively, after the government imposed excise duty on cigarettes from February.
(Reporting by Vivek Kumar M and Bharath Rajeswaran; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Mrigank Dhaniwala)
