Asian markets traded mixed Friday, following overnight gains on Wall Street.

US stock market ended higher, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closing at record highs on Thursday, after a surprisingly strong US jobs report cheered investors.

Here's a table showing how US stocks performed on Thursday:

Source: Equitymaster

At present, the BSE Sensex is trading 5 points lower, and the NSE Nifty is trading 4 points lower.

Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, and Adani Port are among the top gainers today.

Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, and Trent, on the other hand, are among the top losers today.

The BSE Midcap index is trading 0.4% higher, and the BSE Smallcap index is trading 0.3% higher.

Sectoral indices are trading mixed today, with stocks in the metal sector and the FMCG sector witnessing buying. Meanwhile, stocks in the auto sector and the IT sector witness selling pressure.

The rupee is trading at Rs 85.4 against the US dollar.
 

ONCG Signs Deal with Mitsui

ONGC and Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines have agreed to jointly build and operate two large ethane carriers, to improve global energy cooperation and India's petrochemical supply chain.

ONGC Petro Additions Limited (OPaL), ONGC's specialised downstream subsidiary located in Dahej, Gujarat, will receive imported ethane, an important feedstock for petrochemical production, from global markets via the VLECs.

This partnership is important for domestic manufacturing and industrial development since ethylene, a crucial input for plastics, synthetic fibres, and chemicals, is made from ethane.

ONCG will hold at least 26% stake in the joint venture with Mitsui, with an option to increase the to 50%.

ONGC intends to import 800 KTPA of ethane, most likely from the US, to supply its OPaL petrochemical facility starting from May 2028.
 

UCO Bank's Q1 Surges 14%

On Thursday, 3July, UCO Bank Ltd. announced that its total business for the quarter ending 30 June 2025, increased 13.7% year over year (YoY) to Rs 5,240 billion (bn). On a sequential basis the overall business surged by 2%

The bank's total advances stood at Rs 2,250 bn, reflecting a 16.6% year-over-year and a 2.3% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) increase. The domestic market has strong credit demand, as evidenced by the 19.8% YoY and 2.6% QoQ growth in domestic advances to Rs 2,000 billion.

Total deposits reached Rs 2,990 bn, showing a 1.7% from QoQ and 11.6% from YoY rise. Domestic deposits contributed Rs 2,800 bn, up 1.5% from QoQ and 9.8% from YoY.

The credit-deposit ratio increased to 75.48% in the first quarter as against 72.07% in the year-ago period.

NBCC Secures New Projects Orders

NBCC (India) Ltd. announced that it had secured new work orders totalling about Rs 0.6 bn.

Project management consulting (PMC) services are included in the contracts for the construction and development of a few buildings, including exterior development projects at the Energy Institute in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology has granted this specific order, which is worth Rs 0.4bn.

Additionally, NBCC received two other orders from Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti. These include the Rs 0.6 bn for construction of a regional office building in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and another for Rs 0.2 bn for construction of central covered courtyards at several Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) throughout Odisha.

The company stated that these projects fall within its regular business operations.
 

IEX Announces Q1 Results

Indian Energy Exchange Ltd. (IEX) reported on Wednesday that electricity traded volumes for the first quarter of FY26 increased by 15% year over year to 32,382 million units (MU), due to robust performance across segments.

Strong YoY growth of 41% and 51% was recorded by the Real-Time Market (RTM) and Green Market segments, respectively.

52.65 lakh Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) were traded on IEX during the same period, representing a 149% YoY increase.

Despite a general slowdown in the country's energy demand, the volume growth occurred.

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