Market trades with minor gains; metal shares advance

The headline equity benchmarks traded with minor gains in the mid-afternoon trade as investors evaluating Q1 FY27 earnings released over the weekend. However, market sentiment remained cautious following the introduction of the Closing Auction Session (CAS) mechanism last week, which had led to heightened volatility during the final minutes of trading.

Market participants continued to closely monitor developments surrounding the US-Iran conflict and the progress of the monsoon. Persistent geopolitical uncertainty, along with its potential impact on crude oil prices, kept investors cautious and limited the upside in the broader market.

Investors are also expected to track domestic inflation data, movements in crude oil prices and other global geopolitical developments for further market direction. Sector- and stock-specific activity is likely to remain driven by the ongoing earnings season.

The Nifty traded above the 24,550 mark. Metal shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex advanced 46.10 points or 0.06% to 78,545.18. The Nifty 50 index rose 19 points or 0.08% to 24,586.10.

The broader market outperformed. The BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.11% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index jumped 0.16%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,249 shares rose and 2,098 shares fell. A total of 240 shares were unchanged.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Metal index rose 0.47% to 13,252.25. The index rallied 0.97% in two consecutive trading sessions.

Vedanta (up 2.10%), Jindal Steel (up 1.96%), Tata Steel (up 1.83%), APL Apollo Tubes (up 1.42%), National Aluminium Company (up 1.14%), NMDC (up 0.91%), Hindustan Copper (up 0.56%), JSW Steel (up 0.28%), Jindal Stainless (up 0.27%) and Welspun Corp (up 0.15%) advanced.

On the other hand, Lloyds Metals & Energy (down 2.29%), Steel Authority of India (down 2.19%) and Hindustan Zinc (down 0.67%) edged lower.

Numbers to Track:

The yield on India?s 10-year benchmark federal bond was flat at 6.766%, compared with the previous session?s close.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 95.2825 compared with its close of 95.1750 during the previous trading session.

MCX Gold futures for the 5 October 2026 settlement rose 0.47% to Rs 1,52,526.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was up 0.11% to 99.53.

The United States 10-year bond yield slipped 0.11% to 4.653.

In the commodities market, Brent crude for the October 2026 settlement jumped $1.12 or 1.34% to $84.67 a barrel.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Blue Cloud Softech Solutions surged 13.63% after its US based arm signed a $150 million statement of work (SOW) with SpaceX International for AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, telecommunications and data-centre solutions.

Power Mech Projects dropped 3.51% after the company reported a 44.0% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 79.78 crore in Q1 FY27, compared with Rs 142.55 crore in Q4 FY26. Net sales increased 25.53% YoY to Rs 1,623.68 crore in the quarter ended 30 June 2026.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News