Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Thursday (January 29, 2026) after a two-day rally as investors turned cautious ahead of the Union Budget presentation on Sunday (February 1, 2026). From the 30-Sensex firms, Maruti declined nearly 3% after its December quarter earnings failed to cheer investors. Foreign institutional investors turned buyers on Wednesday after days of offloading stocks, according to exchange data. They bought stocks worth ₹480.26 crore. In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index traded higher, while Japan's Nikkei 225 index and Shanghai's SSE Composite index quoted lower.