Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, started the trading session in the green amid slight cooling in crude prices and US 10-year bond yields. While the 30-share BSE Sensex gained 42.51 points or 0.06 per cent to start the session at 74,901.50, the Nifty added 39.75 points to open at 23,454.05. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 74,858.99 and the Nifty 50 at 23,414.30. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the green in the early trading session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index was up by 22.53 points, the BSE Smallcap Select Index added 31.17 points or 0.34 per cent, to trade in the green at 9,246.11. 
 
From the Sensex pack, Indigo, Trent, Asian Paints, BEL, and Maruti were the gainers, with Indigo leading the pack by gaining 1.17 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, TCS, and UltraTech Cement were among the losers, with HCL Tech falling 1.20 per cent.  
 
In early trade, market breadth was positive, with 1,873 stocks advancing against 581 stocks declining on the NSE. 138 stocks remained unchanged. 
 
"Slight cooling in crude prices and US 10-year bond yields has helped to bring risk-on sentiment in the U.S. equity markets. This positive development will reflect in other equity markets, too. In India, there will be renewed focus on the secondary market since the NSE IPO is over and as refunds start coming in, that will add to the liquidity in the market," said Dr VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited.
 
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
 
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a positive start today as it opened with a gain of 63 points at 23,502.50, compared to the previous close of 23,439.50. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned sellers on Monday and offloaded equities worth Rs 576.20 crore on September 21, 2026. However, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) remained buyers, buying equities worth Rs 2,797.27 crore. 
 
Asian Markets Today
 
Asian stocks mostly gained today as Wall Street climbed to the edge of an all-time high on Monday after oil prices and bond yields surrendered their market-rattling gains from last week. Japanese stock market is closed today for a public holiday during "Silver Week. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up by 91.29 points or 0.36 per cent. South Korea's Kospi was up by 133.02 points, or 1.90 per cent, and Shanghai's SSE Composite index was up by 8.73 points, or 0.22 per cent.