Stock Market Open Report Today, October 1, 2026: Nifty Edges Down, Sensex Flatlines After Lower Open as Elevated Oil, Foreign Selling Weigh

Mumbai, October 1: Indian equity benchmarks began Thursday lower amid mixed but weak Asian markets, oil that eased yet stayed elevated, and persistent selling among foreign investors. Crude remains the key variable for India’s import bill, inflation and corporate margins.

Iran said on Wednesday it had received a US response to its latest proposal to revive the collapsed ceasefire, days after President Donald Trump said he had rejected it. The plan would see Washington lift its blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, with an official briefed on the talks saying the sides largely agree on the steps but not their order.

Sensex & Nifty

The 30-share BSE Sensex flatlined while the NSE Nifty 50 edged down 0.18% as of 10:11 am. Losses in autos, healthcare and oil and gas stocks outweighed gains in IT and private banks.)

Gainers & Losers 

Information technology and banking stocks dominated the Nifty 50 gainers, while autos and healthcare dominated the losers. Infosys (INFY) led the gainers, rising 2.15 per cent, or Rs 21.4, to a last traded price (LTP) of Rs 1,015.5 from its previous close of Rs 994.1, after touching a high of Rs 1,019.5. Kotak Mahindra Bank (KOTAKBANK) gained 1.86 per cent, or Rs 7.75, to Rs 424.75 from Rs 417, with a high of Rs 432.3, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) rose 1.45 per cent, or Rs 29.7, to Rs 2,080.3 from Rs 2,050.6, with a high of Rs 2,084.6, HDFC Bank (HDFCBANK) added 1.30 per cent, or Rs 9.2, to Rs 717.9 from Rs 708.7, with a high of Rs 718.55, and HDFC Life Insurance Company (HDFCLIFE) climbed 1.05 per cent, or Rs 5.45, to Rs 526.65 from Rs 521.2, with a high of Rs 528.5.  

On the other side, Bajaj Auto (BAJAJ-AUTO) was the top loser, sliding 3.83 per cent, or Rs 416, to an LTP of Rs 10,458 from its previous close of Rs 10,874, after touching a low of Rs 10,411. Max Healthcare (MAXHEALTH) fell 2.80 per cent, or Rs 26.05, to Rs 903.75 from Rs 929.8, with a low of Rs 903, Apollo Hospitals (APOLLOHOSP) declined 2.78 per cent, or Rs 227, to Rs 7,938.5 from Rs 8,165.5, with a low of Rs 7,921.5, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) lost 2.47 per cent, or Rs 73, to Rs 2,877 from Rs 2,950, with a low of Rs 2,875, and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRREDDY) shed 1.78 per cent, or Rs 21.9, to Rs 1,211.1 from Rs 1,233, its low for the day. Kotak Mahindra Bank was the most actively traded of the ten, with about 1.67 crore shares changing hands. 

Broad Market & Sectoral Indices 

Broader markets traded weak, with none of the broad-market indices in the green. The Nifty Smallcap 250 fell the most, down 0.61 per cent to 17,689.55 from 17,798.80 and 3.67 per cent lower over 30 days, followed by the Nifty Smallcap 500, down 0.60 per cent to 20,369.40 from 20,491.75 and 2.79 per cent lower over 30 days, and the Nifty Microcap 250, down 0.53 per cent to 26,110.65 from 26,250.10, a 0.66 per cent decline over 30 days. The Nifty Midcap Select (down 0.25 per cent to 13,696.55), the Nifty Midcap 100 (down 0.25 per cent to 59,182.45) and the Nifty 100 (down 0.27 per cent to 23,671.60) lost the least, though all three are still down 7.54, 6.56 and 5.91 per cent respectively over 30 days.  

Among sectoral indices, the Nifty IT led the gainers, rising 1.44 per cent to 28,103.90 from 27,704.80 despite a 10.77 per cent fall over 30 days, followed by the Nifty Private Bank, up 0.81 per cent to 26,911 from 26,695.60 though still 3.07 per cent lower over 30 days, and the Nifty Financial Services, up 0.37 per cent to 24,741.05 from 24,649.50, a 4.86 per cent decline over 30 days. The Nifty Auto was the biggest loser, down 1.70 per cent to 25,848.20 from 26,293.95 and 9.28 per cent lower over 30 days, followed by the Nifty Media, down 0.97 per cent to 1,567.80 from 1,583.20 though still 0.41 per cent higher over 30 days, and the Nifty Oil & Gas, down 0.90 per cent to 10,519.45 from 10,614.55, a 5.59 per cent decline over 30 days. 

Asian Stocks & Wall Street 

Asian markets were mixed but weak on Thursday morning, with Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia under pressure and Japan the standout gainer. Japan’s Nikkei jumped 2.23 per cent to 68,244.21, while Australia’s ASX 200 fell 1.59 per cent to 8,649.7, New Zealand’s NZX 50 lost 0.88 per cent to 13,712.47 and Malaysia’s benchmark slipped 0.42 per cent to 1,644.3. Shanghai rose 0.31 per cent to 3,842.2, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.37 per cent to 24,613.27, Taiwan’s benchmark added 0.06 per cent to 47,970.3 and Singapore’s Straits Times edged up 0.08 per cent to 5,680.6, while South Korea’s Kospi eased 0.08 per cent to 6,832.43 and Shenzhen shed 0.11 per cent to 12,887.62. 

Wall Street ended mostly lower on Wednesday, with four of five indices tracked in the red. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 bucked the trend, rising 0.23 per cent to 30,408.50, while the NYSE Composite dropped 0.92 per cent to 23,490.8 and the Russell 2000 small-cap index lost 0.39 per cent to 2,796.86. The transport index fell 1.37 per cent to 19,382.09 and the utilities index slipped 0.59 per cent to 1,009.91, as weakness across most of the market outweighed resilience in technology shares. 

Oil Prices 

Oil prices eased on Thursday morning but stayed elevated as traders weighed the Iran-US exchange on reviving the ceasefire against persistent disruption to supplies through the Gulf. Brent crude slipped 0.18 per cent to $97.85 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 0.40 per cent to $90.07, while Abu Dhabi’s Murban crude bucked the trend, rising 1.37 per cent to $102.25. Natural gas fell 1.09 per cent to $2.993 per million British thermal units, while gasoline edged up 0.16 per cent to $3.266 per gallon heating oil gained 1.2 per cent to $4.957 per gallon in delayed trade and the OPEC basket was at $109.53, down 1.99 per cent in a delayed quote. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has picked up in recent weeks, with shippers charging high fees to brave the risk of attacks, but flows of crude, refined products and gas remain substantially disrupted, with UKMTO reporting that two ships were hit by projectiles on Tuesday. 

Sensex & Nifty on Wednesday 

The Sensex ended 48.78 points, or 0.07 per cent, lower at 72,480.29 on Wednesday, while the Nifty fell 95.75 points, or 0.42 per cent, to 22,620.45 after both indices failed to hold early gains in a volatile session that swung between gains and losses on persistent global and domestic concerns. Market breadth on the NSE was marginally negative, with 2,051 shares advancing against 2,135 decliners and 187 unchanged. ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, InterGlobe Aviation, Wipro and Tech Mahindra were the top Nifty gainers, with gains in ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank lending support to the benchmarks, while Max Healthcare, Apollo Hospitals, SBI Life Insurance, Eternal and ONGC were the biggest losers. Metal and pharma stocks fell more than 1 per cent each, while PSU banks, private banks, realty and media gained 1 to 2 per cent, and the Nifty Midcap index ended flat as the Nifty Smallcap index rose 0.2 per cent, suggesting buying interest remained in select pockets beyond large caps. 

Sources

• BSE
• NSE
• https://www.reuters.com/world/us/iran-appeals-us-voters-american-troops-leave-iraq-2026-09-30/
• www.oilprice.com
• www.cnbc.com