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Indian equity markets are likely to make cautious start on Thursday, amid weak globe cues. Traders are likely to remain cautious amid rising worries over US H-1B visa and mixed signals on U.S.-India trade talks. Additionally, some cautiousness may come after foreign institutional investors offloaded shares worth Rs 2,425.75 crore on a net basis on Wednesday. 

Some of the key factors to be watched:

GST reform to promote ease of doing business, strengthen growth drivers: RBI bulletin said that the GST reform will have a positive impact on the Indian economy by promoting ease of doing business, lowering retail prices, and strengthening consumption growth drivers.

EAM Jaishankar hosts FIPIC foreign ministers' meeting in New York: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), reaffirming a people-centric agenda emphasising health, technology and capacity building.

Indian envoy meets Sri Lanka's ex-president to discuss bilateral ties: Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha met Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa at his private residence and discussed various facets of bilateral cooperation as well as political developments in the island nation.

India needs to raise agri sector's contribution in GDP to 26%: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has stressed on the need to increase the share of agriculture and allied sector in the GDP to at least 26 per cent from the present 18 per cent to make India self-reliant.

India, Australia ink agreement to promote trade of organic products: The commerce ministry said that India and Australia have signed an agreement to facilitate trade of organic products including wine and agri produce in each other's countries. 

On the global front: The US markets ended in red on Wednesday, amid continued concerns over equity overvaluation following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments saying equity prices are fairly highly valued. Asian markets are trading mixed on Thursday, as investors worried about sticky inflation and a slowing job market in the United States.

Back home, Indian equity benchmarks fell for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump accused India and China of being the primary funders of Russia's war in Ukraine through their continued purchase of Russian oil. Besides, foreign fund outflows and concerns over the steep hike in US H-1B visa fees continued to dent investor sentiment. Finally, the BSE Sensex fell 386.47 points or 0.47% to 81,715.63 and the CNX Nifty was down by 112.60 points or 0.45% to 25,056.90.

Some of the important factors in trade:

OECD raises India's GDP growth by 40 bps to 6.7% for FY26: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has raised India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth by 40 bps to 6.7 per cent for FY26 from its earlier projection of 6.3 per cent in June -- driven by strong domestic demand and robust GST reforms. 

India to enter Global Innovation Index top 10 in next three years: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has expressed confidence that India would secure a position among the top 10 on the Global Innovation Index in next three years. He said that the country’s ranking on the Index has gone up from 91 to 38 in the last decade. 

India to generate 3,343 GW solar power using wasteland: National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) report said that India has potential to have about 3,343 GW ground-mounted solar PV from 27,571 square km of wasteland across the nation.

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