Benchmark equity indices opened higher on Tuesday, extending their winning streak for a second consecutive day as renewed foreign institutional investor (FII) buying lifted sentiment on Dalal Street. Positive macroeconomic developments and improving growth prospects further supported the market momentum.

As of 10:15 am, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 260.37 points at 84,326.12, while the NSE Nifty50 gained 77.30 points to trade at 25,944.60.

According to Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments Limited, market tailwinds are strengthening steadily. He noted that economic growth prospects now look better than even earlier optimistic estimates. A key structural shift, he said, is the long-awaited turnaround in private capital expenditure, which had remained subdued for several years.

Citing data compiled by Business Standard, Vijayakumar pointed out that fixed assets of a sample of listed companies rose 13.1% year-on-year in the first half of FY26. This acceleration in private capex is being reinforced by a recent uptick in bank credit growth, indicating broader economic momentum.

FII activity in February has remained mixed but marginally positive overall. On a month-to-date basis, foreign investors have been net buyers worth Rs 4,900.17 crore, with gross purchases of Rs 1.09 lakh crore and sales of Rs 1.04 lakh crore.

Daily flows, however, show intermittent volatility. FIIs began the month with selling on February 1 and 2, followed by strong buying on February 3. After near-flat flows on February 4 and renewed selling on February 5, foreign investors returned as buyers on February 6 and continued to invest on February 9, helping maintain a positive monthly trend.

Looking ahead, Vijayakumar believes financial stocks are well-positioned to outperform during the ongoing rally, supported by improving credit growth and balance sheets. In contrast, IT stocks may continue to lag due to concerns following the so-called “Anthropic shock.” He also highlighted that a recovery in broader markets, particularly small-cap stocks, could further boost retail investor confidence and help the market remain resilient.