Indian shares ended slightly higher on Thursday after a choppy session as investors awaited fresh triggers as the earnings season gains momentum amid an uncertain global scenario.
The broader NSE index closed up 0.22 percent at 8,435.10, while the benchmark BSE index ended 0.19 percent higher at 27,308.60.
Investors are waiting for a trigger in an environment that has many variables, said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice-president
of research at SMC Global Securities, referring to the corporate results season, the federal budget, and clarity on US President-elect Donald Trump's policies.
Tata Motors was up 2.23 percent, while Reliance Industries gained 1 percent. Bharat Petroleum Corp rose 2.28 percent, while ITC Ltd was up 0.88 percent.
Oil rose from one-week lows touched the session before, with investors turning their attention to upcoming government data on US inventories.
Financial stocks were the top losers with the Nifty Bank index declining as much as 0.6 percent after hitting a two-month high on Wednesday.
"Some of the financial stocks have always traded at a premium and any kind of bad news or even an expectation of negative news leads to apprehension and which is why we can see a bit of profit-taking and also why these stocks are oscillating within a range," said Jain.
Axis Bank was the top loser, shedding as much as 1.88 percent, ahead of its quarterly results later in the day.
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