Indian shares seen opening 2026 higher; auto stocks in focus

India's equity benchmarks are likely to start 2026 on a positive note on Thursday, building on the previous session's gains, with auto stocks in focus ahead of December sales data. The Nifty futures were trading at 26,335 points as of 7:36 am IST, indicating that the Nifty 50 would open above Wednesday's close of 26,129.6.