Before markets opened today, brokerage desks flagged Nifty support in the 25,500–25,300 area and advised caution given elevated options-skew and recent volatility. Analysts recommended monitoring foreign institutional flows and global cues for directional bias, with select defensive sectors suggested for hedged exposure. Expected macro prints and U.S. inflation data were cited as near-term catalysts. Traders also noted that liquidity is thinner during truncated holiday weeks, which could amplify intra-day moves and widen spreads for large orders.