Asian stocks are trading higher on Thursday.

Wall Street closed out another banner year for stocks Wednesday with a downbeat finish that extended the market's recent losing streak to a fourth day.

At present, the BSE Sensex is trading 124 points higher, and the NSE Nifty is trading 36 points higher.

Eternal, M&M, and NTPC are among the top gainers today.

Bharat Elec, HUL, and Trent, on the other hand, are among the top losers today.

The BSE Midcap index is trading 0.1% lower, and the BSE Smallcap index is trading 0.1% higher.

Sectoral indices are trading mixed today, with stocks in the oil & gas sector and power sector witnessing buying. Meanwhile, stocks in the healthcare sector and the IT sector witnessed selling pressure.

The rupee is trading at Rs 89.8 against the US dollar.
 

NBCC Secures Three Major Projects

Public sector infrastructure company NBCC (India) Ltd has secured three new projects, adding to its order book.

The company will handle the planning, design, and construction of a head office annex building for Canara Bank at Manyatha Tech Park in Bengaluru, with a project cost of Rs 16.31 billion (bn).

NBCC has also been awarded a project to construct a boys' dormitory along with four warden residences at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Jalna (Maharashtra), valued at Rs 0.90 bn.

In addition, the company will build a permanent campus at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Medchal, Malkajgiri (Telangana), with a project cost of Rs 4.82 bn.

The total value of these three projects is around Rs 22.03 bn.

NBCC's order book remains strong at over Rs 1,000 bn as of mid-2025, largely driven by its Project Management Consultancy business.
 

Great Eastern Shipping Expands Tanker Fleet

The Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited has announced that it has bought a secondhand Medium Range tanker as part of its plan to expand its fleet. The purchase agreement was signed on December 31, 2025, and the vessel is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of FY26.

The company will fund this acquisition entirely through its internal funds, reflecting its strong cash position and disciplined financial management.

Great Eastern Shipping has a well-diversified fleet. It currently owns 39 vessels with a total carrying capacity of about 3.17 million deadweight tonnes (dwt).

Its fleet includes 25 tankers, made up of crude tankers, product tankers, LPG carriers, and 14 dry bulk carriers across capesize, kamsarmax, and supramax segments.

The company operates its fleet at nearly full capacity, showing strong demand for its services and efficient use of its vessels.
 

Zaggle Partners With Visa on Cards

Zaggle Prepaid Ocean Services has expanded its payment solutions by signing a seven-year deal with Visa Worldwide on December 31. This agreement allows Zaggle to offer co-branded domestic prepaid cards using Visa's network.

Under the partnership, Visa will provide incentives to support the launch and promotion of these prepaid cards.

This deal adds to Zaggle's recent five-year agreement with Mastercard Asia/Pacific, which focuses on credit cards and other payment solutions with spend-linked incentives for customers.

Together, these partnerships show Zaggle's plan to grow and diversify its payment offerings across both prepaid and credit card services.

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