Gift Nifty inched down, Asian markets were marginally higher

Local stock markets are likely to start on a cautious note today. The Gift Nifty April 2026 futures have edged lower by 0.08 points, hinting at a soft opening for the benchmark index today. The domestic equity market closed on a positive note in last session, with BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 modestly higher.The BSE Sensex has slipped 4.93% over the last one month, while the NSE Nifty has edged lower 5.14% over the same period.

In Asia today, sentiment was mildly upbeat. China’s SSE Composite Index ticked up 0.31% while Japan’s Nikkei 225 inched higher 0.19%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged up 0.76%.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 4,699 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 5,181 crore in the Indian equity market on 5 October 2026, provisional data showed.

Overnight on Wall Street, stocks inched up across the board. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished higher by 90.94 points, or 0.18%, and closed at 51288.90. The S&P 500 moved higher 0.67% to end at 7795.22, and the NASDAQ Composite moved higher 1.03% to 27492.42.

Yesterday, the S&P BSE Sensex moved higher by 472.77 points or 0.66% to 72382.47. The Nifty 50 index posted modest gains of 133.80 points or 0.60% to 22555.75. ITC Ltd was top gainer in Nifty 50 yesterday, inching higher 5.08% to Rs 268.90. The stock has posted modest gains of around 1.43% in last one-week and is weaker 10.47% over last one-month.

In sectoral indices, only Nifty FMCG index moved higher yesterday, gaining 1.80% on the day.