Benchmarks managed to hold gains in late afternoon, supported easing crude oil prices and US bond yields. Further, strong buying among large cap IT counters bolstered sentiment on the bourses following better than expected Q2 numbers from Tech Mahindra and Wipro. Besides, investors remained optimistic after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the first phase of the India-US trade agreement has been finalized and is undergoing legal drafting. He expressed optimism that the legal drafting would be completed soon.
On the global front, Asian equity markets were trading mostly in green as tech shares bounced back following Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's comments. European equity markets were trading mostly in green amid softening bond yields and crude prices.
The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 74571.41, up by 255.80 points or 0.34% after trading in a range of 74012.99 and 74778.78. There were 14 stocks advancing against 16 stocks declining on the index.
The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 3.25%, TECK up by 3.12%, Telecom up by 1.47%, Auto up by 0.60%, Consumer Discretionary up by 0.53%, while FMCG down by 0.72%, Energy down by 0.67%, Consumer Durables down by 0.61%, Oil & Gas down by 0.39%, Bankex down by 0.32% were the top losing indices on BSE.
The top gainers on the Sensex were Tech Mahindra up by 7.90%, TCS up by 4.12%, Infosys up by 3.63%, Bharti Airtel up by 2.57% and Mahindra & Mahindra up by 2.06%. On the flip side, Interglobe Aviation down by 2.51%, Asian Paints down by 1.09%, Reliance Industries down by 1.07%, Hindustan Unilever down by 1.05% and ITC down by 0.83% were the top losers..
Meanwhile, the National Statistics Office's (NSO) Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data showed that the overall unemployment rate (UR) among persons aged 15 years and above remained stable at 5 per cent in September 2026 as compared with August 2026. The UR was 5.2 per cent in September 2025. During September 2026, rural UR remained broadly stable at 4.2 per cent, up from 4.1 per cent the previous month, while urban UR edged up marginally from 6.8 per cent to 6.9 per cent. In September 2025, rural UR was 4.6 per cent and urban UR at 6.8 per cent.
It further said overall male UR among persons aged 15 years and above remained stable at 4.9 per cent in September 2026, compared with the previous month, continuing the downward or stable trend observed since June 2026. Among females, the overall UR remained broadly stable at 5.2 per cent, up from 5.1 per cent the previous month. Rural female UR stood at 3.9 per cent, its lowest level in 2026, while urban female UR rose marginally from 8.9 per cent to 9.2 per cent. Unemployment rates declined year-on-year for both genders, with rural female UR reaching its lowest level during 2026.
According to the survey, the overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above remained broadly stable at 55.5% in September, 2026, compared to 55.6% in August, 2026. In rural areas, LFPR was recorded at 58.0% against 58.2% in August, 2026, while the urban LFPR registered a moderate increase of 0.3 percentage points, rising from 50.4% in August, 2026 to 50.7% in September, 2026. Overall Female LFPR (15+ years) stood at 34.6% in September, 2026, compared with 34.8% in August, 2026. Urban female LFPR recorded a notable month-on-month increase of 0.5 percentage points, rising from 25.4% to 25.9% and reaching its highest level since October, 2025. Rural female LFPR estimated at 38.9% in September, 2026 against 39.4% in the previous month. The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) remained broadly stable at 52.7% in September, 2026, compared with 52.8% in August 2026.
The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23106.15, up by 108.80 points or 0.47% after trading in a range of 22913.80 and 23149.85. There were 22 stocks advancing against 28 stocks declining on the index.
The top gainers on Nifty were Tech Mahindra up by 7.95%, TCS up by 4.74%, Infosys up by 4.46%, Bharti Airtel up by 2.58% and Mahindra & Mahindra up by 2.01%. On the flip side, Interglobe Aviation down by 2.03%, BSE down by 1.75%, Tata Consumer Prod. down by 1.51%, Max Healthcare Inst. down by 1.40% and JIO Financial Services down by 1.35% were the top losers.
Asian equity markets were trading mostly in green; Nikkei 225 surged 1177.05 points or 1.79% to 65,603.00, Taiwan Weighted added 141.39 points or 0.3% to 47,111.26, Hang Seng advanced 93.28 points or 0.39% to 24,156.00, KOSPI increased 113.83 points or 2.01% to 5,668.05, Straits Times rose 13.17 points or 0.24% to 5,416.67 and Shanghai Composite strengthened 8.8 points or 0.24% to 3,716.28, while Jakarta Composite plunged 661.25 points or 12.71% to 5,202.53.
European equity markets were trading mostly in green; France’s CAC rose 11 points or 0.14% to 7,945.70 and Germany’s DAX gained 262.88 points or 1.04% to 25,645.50, while UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 4.48 points or 0.04% to 10,835.87.
