Mumbai: Indian equities opened the week on a buoyant note, with both benchmark indices surging to fresh lifetime highs on Monday. The rally came on the back of stronger-than-anticipated economic growth, which reinforced optimism about the country’s economic momentum.
The BSE Sensex vaulted 452 points in early deals to touch a new record of 86,159.02, while the NSE Nifty advanced 122.85 points to set a fresh high of 26,325.80.
Investors responded enthusiastically to data showing that India’s GDP expanded 8.2% in the July–September quarter — the fastest clip in a year and a half. Economists attributed the robust performance to improved consumption trends and production ramp-ups ahead of the GST rate rationalization.
Several heavyweights propelled the Sensex to its new peak. Adani Ports, Bharat Electronics, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Eternal featured among the top performers. On the other hand, ITC, Bajaj Finance, Titan, and Tech Mahindra witnessed selling pressure and traded in the red.
Market analysts say the upbeat sentiment is likely to persist. “Given the strength in India’s Q2 FY26 numbers and the broad participation across sectors, new highs for the Nifty could become a regular sight,” noted Prashanth Tapse, Senior Vice President – Research at Mehta Equities.
Asian markets presented a mixed picture in early trade. While Shanghai’s SSE Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng moved higher, South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei 225 were subdued. Wall Street’s positive close on Friday also added to the supportive backdrop.
On the institutional front, Friday’s data showed Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) selling equities worth ₹3,795.72 crore, even as Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) absorbed the weakness with purchases totaling ₹4,148.48 crore.
Meanwhile, Brent crude rose 1.62% to around $63.39 per barrel, providing a modest tailwind to global risk sentiment.
The upbeat opening follows a muted session on Friday, when the Sensex slipped 13.71 points to end at 85,706.67, and the Nifty eased 12.60 points to finish at 26,202.95.
With the markets now entering uncharted territory, traders will be watching global cues, crude prices, and institutional flows closely to gauge whether the momentum can be sustained through the week.
