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India's equity benchmarks are likely to open slightly higher on Thursday, buoyed by expectations that the U.S. trade deal will revive foreign inflows, while investors track quarterly earnings and a sell-off in software stocks globally.

Gift Nifty futures were trading at 25,820 points, as of 7:54 a.m. IST, indicating that the benchmark Nifty 50 index will open above Wednesday's close of 25,776.

Foreign investors net bought Indian shares worth 297.9 million rupees ($3.29 million) on Wednesday, according to provisional data. This was their second consecutive session of buying in India, following a record sell-off in 2025 that extended into January.

The Nifty 50 and Sensex have jumped 3.8% in the last three sessions, with gains in two sessions supported by the trade deal with the U.S. that reduced tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%.

Investors will keep an eye on IT stocks as concerns over artificial intelligence-fuelled disruption in the traditional software industry triggered a rout in data and professional services stocks globally. [MKTS/GLOB]

The IT index in India slumped about 6% on Wednesday in its biggest daily drop in nearly six years.

Investors await the Reserve Bank of India's policy decision on Friday, where the central bank is expected to keep rates steady.

Earnings will remain in focus, with companies such as telecom operator Bharti Airtel, Hero MotoCorp, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicle, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Nykaa, scheduled to report quarterly results later in the day.

STOCKS TO WATCH

** Apparel retailer Trent's quarterly profit inched higher, as it benefited from a tax-cut-led sales boost while expanding its footprint.

** Tata Power posted lower quarterly net profit, hurt by a weakness in the thermal power segment due to the shutdown of a key plant.

** Apollo Tyres' quarterly profit jumped nearly 40%, as tax cuts spurred demand both from automakers as well as buyers looking to replace older tyres.

($1 = 90.4370 Indian rupees)