Markets are likely to start the session on a positive note as early trends from the GIFT Nifty point to firm trade. The Nifty reclaimed the 25,700 mark on Tuesday, led by strong gains in IT and auto stocks, while exit polls from Bihar projecting a comfortable BJP–JDU victory are seen as sentimentally positive for the market. Globally, markets traded mixed as investors balanced hopes of an end to the U.S. government shutdown with renewed weakness in tech stocks. The Dow hit a fresh record high, the Nasdaq lagged, and SoftBank tumbled 10% after offloading its entire Nvidia stake. From Tata Power’s subdued Q2 performance and BSE’s solid earnings to earnings from Max Financial, Godrej Industries, and Aavas Financiers, we’ve got all the key stock updates lined up. Also on the radar: Tata Motors’ newly demerged commercial vehicle unit listing today and Tenneco Clean Air India’s Rs 3,600 crore IPO launch. And in our voice of the day segment catch Ankit Soni, Associate Vice President, Mirae Asset Sharekhan as he shares his view on the defence sector. Tune in for all this and more in today’s Market Minutes — your morning podcast bringing you the top stories to kickstart your trading day, from stocks in the news to macro trends and global market cues.