Sensex, Nifty off early highs; ITC rises over 3%, HCLTech worst hit

Indian benchmark indices trimmed their early-session advances as trading progressed, pulling back from morning highs according to reporting by Financialexpress. The market movement followed a domestic closure for Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, keeping investors closely attuned to broader macroeconomic signals spanning overseas equity futures, foreign institutional flows, and currency shifts.

At the opening bell on Monday, 5 October 2026, the Sensex had climbed 371.64 points, or 0.52%, to reach 72,281.34, while the Nifty advanced 108.45 points, or 0.48%, to open at 22,530.40. GIFT Nifty had earlier indicated a stronger start by trading higher around 22,640. As the session advanced to mid-morning, however, those gains cooled. By 11:40 AM, the Nifty stood at 22,474 points, reflecting a modest 0.2% increase, while the Sensex rested at 72,104 points, up 0.3%.

Sectoral and constituent performances displayed notable divergence across the exchanges. Within the Nifty 50, ITC emerged as the top gainer with a 3.2% rise, closely followed by Bajaj Finance with 3% gains. Conversely, HCL Technology bore the heaviest losses on the 50-stock index, declining 3%. Asian Paints and Max Healthcare also faced downward pressure, falling 2.3% and 1.9% respectively. Among broader Sensex constituents at open, Bajaj Finance rose 2.55%, HDFC Bank gained 1.61%, Power Grid added 1.24%, and Larsen & Toubro moved up 1.21%. On the losing side of the Sensex at that hour, HCL Technologies dipped 1%, Tech Mahindra fell 0.83%, Sun Pharma dropped 0.69%, and Eternal declined 0.62%.

Activity in the wider financial ecosystem underscored a shifting environment for capital flows. Provisional NSE cash-market data showed that foreign institutional investors remained net sellers on October 1, pulling out a net Rs 9,484.22 crore. Domestic institutional investors countered this outflow by providing strong support, injecting Rs 10,041.84 crore into equities. Meanwhile, the Indian rupee weakened 0.5% to close at Rs 96.315 against the US dollar on October 1. Precious metals and commodities also posted distinct prints, with 24-carat gold priced at Rs 1,49,700 per 10 grams and 18-carat gold at Rs 1,11,800, while silver stood at Rs 249.90 per gram or Rs 2,49,900 per kilogram.

International markets presented a varied backdrop. In the United States, stocks closed higher on Friday, October 2, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 250 points, or 0.5%, to 51,176.96, the S&P 500 gaining 0.7% to 7,722.72, and the Nasdaq Composite climbing 1.2% to 27,190.86. US stock futures pointed toward a cautious start on Wall Street. Across Asia, indices traded mostly higher in early deals, aided by Japan’s Nikkei 225 gaining more than 1.7% and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advancing 0.53%—the latter building on a previous close of 8,682.1 points as reported by The Motley Fool Australia. Markets in mainland China and South Korea remained closed for holidays.

Macroeconomic pressures persisted as the US 10-year bond yield rose to a more than 20-year high, keeping global markets under constraint. Crude oil prices traded lower in early deals, with Brent crude down 0.28% at $101.96 a barrel and US crude declining 0.90% to $90.29 a barrel, while separate Bloomberg figures cited by Australian analysts placed WTI crude down 1.9% at US$91.11 a barrel amid optimism regarding the potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The US Dollar Index hovered at 101.97.

Market participants continue to monitor cross-border cues, institutional investment tallies, and commodity price shifts. For ongoing developments, readers can follow further updates across financial sectors.