Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty saw a slight increase in early trade on Friday, supported by auto and metal stocks. The NSE Nifty50 traded at 26,172.35, up 0.11 percent, while the BSE Sensex reached 85,293.55, up 0.12 percent. Market sentiment is expected to be influenced by upcoming manufacturing PMI data from India and the US, alongside India's forex data. Asian markets showed mixed but largely positive trends, with South Korea's Kospi hitting a record high.