Sensex rises 300 points as Nifty tops 24,300 in 2026

Market opens stronger on banking support

Indian equities began the week on a firmer note, with frontline indices moving higher in early trade. The rise was led by buying in large-cap banking names, alongside a decline in crude oil prices. In early transactions on Monday, the BSE Sensex rose 281.40 points to 78,051.03. The NSE Nifty gained 74.60 points to 24,347.05. The session followed a positive close on Friday, when both benchmarks ended more than 0.3% higher.

Friday’s close sets the tone for the new week

On Friday, the Sensex ended around 0.3% higher at 77,764, marking its highest level since early May and extending gains for a third straight session. The Nifty 50 finished at 24,270.85, up 95.15 points or 0.39%. Market breadth on the Nifty remained positive, with 33 advances and 17 declines and no unchanged stocks reported. The index also booked a weekly gain of 0.9%, indicating steady follow-through buying across sessions. In intraday commentary, it was also noted that strength in private banks and financial stocks outweighed weakness in pharma shares.

Early trade levels and opening cues

At the open, the Sensex started 208 points higher, while the Nifty was up 37 points. As trading progressed, gains widened, with Monday’s early readings showing the Sensex at 78,051.03 and the Nifty at 24,347.05. The move was attributed to inflows into large-cap banking stocks and support from lower crude oil prices. On the Sensex roster, gainers included Electronics, HDFC, Axis, ICICI, Bh Airt, and HCL Tech, as cited in the market update. On the downside, Kot Mahind Bank, Bajaj Inserv, Power Grid, and ITC were among the underperformers in that early snapshot.

IT stocks lead Friday’s upside move

Technology counters provided notable support in the Friday session. HCL Tech led gains among stocks with a 5.8% rise, while Tech Mahindra (1.8%), TCS (1.2%) and Infosys (0.6%) also advanced. The Nifty’s top-gainers list reflected this tone, with HCL Tech closing at 1,139.85, up 62.35 or 5.79%. Tech strength helped offset pressure in parts of the financial pack, which was mixed across different market updates.

Bajaj Finance update and other stock-specific triggers

Bajaj Finance gained 1.4% after reporting a strong operational performance for the first quarter of FY27. The update highlighted robust growth in assets under management (AUM), loan disbursements, and customer acquisition, as per the report. Separately, stock-specific news flow also influenced leadership within the broader market. ITC was cited as a top performer in a separate session, rising 3.8% on reports of a cigarette price hike. Such single-stock triggers contributed to day-to-day leadership changes even as headline indices remained supported.

Large market-cap additions: Airtel and Bajaj Finance

In terms of market value movements among top gainers, Bharti Airtel recorded the biggest increase in market valuation. Its market capitalisation rose by Rs 36,529.21 crore to Rs 11,63,877.30 crore. Bajaj Finance followed with an addition of Rs 33,059.83 crore, taking its valuation to Rs 6,43,141.36 crore. These figures underline how a few large index constituents can materially influence benchmark levels and sentiment.

Mixed banking trend across sessions

Banking stocks featured prominently, but the direction varied by session and stock. In one market update focused on late morning trade, strong buying in private banks and financials helped the Nifty reclaim the 23,800 mark, with the Sensex up 530.21 points or 0.71% at 75,713.57 and the Nifty up 156.45 points or 0.66% at 23,811.15. The same commentary noted the Bank Nifty was up about 590 points, and heavyweight banks such as HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank were up anywhere between 1% to 2%. Axis Bank was described as an outperformer in that window, trading about 2% higher.

Decliners list highlights Axis Bank and SBI on Friday

Despite the broader support from financials in parts of the tape, the Friday leaderboard showed several financial names among the laggards. Axis Bank was listed among the top losers at 1,342.50, down 21.25 or 1.56%. SBI fell 1.13% to 1,039.90, and Mahindra & Mahindra declined 1.11% to 3,137.90. Larsen & Toubro slipped 0.83% to 4,026.80, while Tech Mahindra was down 0.75% to 1,410.40 on the day’s losers list. The broader report also noted that Axis Bank, State Bank of India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro and Kotak Bank posted the largest declines, ranging between 0.7% to 1.6%.

Another strong session led by autos and FMCG

In a separate mid-week session, domestic equity indices closed in the green on the back of automobile and FMCG stocks. The Sensex closed at 77,496, up almost 0.8% or 609 points, while the Nifty ended higher by 0.76% to close 181 points above Tuesday’s close. Sectoral performance was broad-based, with Nifty FMCG, Nifty Realty, and Nifty Auto gaining over 1.75%, 1.48%, and 1.15%, respectively. Out of 19 sectoral indices, 14 ended in the green while five posted losses. Banking stocks were among the losers in that session as well, with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and State Bank of India cited among the top losers in the Nifty 50 pack.

Key market data snapshot

The table below compiles the main index and stock datapoints reported.

What investors are tracking next

The current setup shows a market influenced by rotating leadership across banks, IT, autos, and FMCG, depending on the day’s triggers. Lower crude oil prices were cited as a supportive macro cue in Monday’s early trade. At the same time, session-to-session moves show that even within banking, performance can diverge, with some names leading and others appearing on the declines list. Investors are also watching company-specific updates such as Bajaj Finance’s FY27 first-quarter operational performance and sector-specific news such as reported cigarette price hikes that moved ITC.

Conclusion

Indian equities carried forward recent momentum, with the Sensex rising toward the 78,000 mark and the Nifty trading above 24,300 in early Monday action after a firm Friday close. Friday’s session featured IT-led gains and a positive breadth, while select financials appeared among the day’s key losers. Market participants will continue to monitor crude prices, sector rotation, and further company updates as the next sessions unfold.