The Indian benchmark indices had a muted start on Monday. The BSE Sensex slipped 5 points, or 0.01%, to 81,899.20, while the NSE Nifty 50 declined 0.02% to 25,108.25. Both indices failed to hold their early highs of 81,998.51 and 25,138.45, respectively.

In the Nifty pack, 22 stocks advanced and 28 declined, while the Sensex was evenly split with 15 gainers and 15 losers.

Leading the Nifty 50 were Bajaj Finance, Eternal, and Bajaj Auto. Bajaj Finance gained 2% to ₹1,023.70, while Eternal and Bajaj Auto rose 0.95% and 0.81%, respectively. The top laggards were Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (-1.57%), Infosys (-1.21%), and Asian Paints (-0.81%).

On the Sensex front, Bajaj Finance, Tata Motors, and Eternal led the gains, with Bajaj Finance rising 1.92%. In contrast, Infosys, Sun Pharmaceutical, and Asian Paints weighed on the index.

Among sectoral indices, Nifty Auto extended its rally, climbing 0.31%, while Nifty Realty gained 0.97%. Nifty IT, which had posted three consecutive positive sessions last week led by Infosys, slipped 0.74%. Nifty Pharma also declined, shedding 0.77%.

Broader markets outperformed the benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 50 up 0.22% and the Nifty Smallcap index advancing 0.42%.

India VIX, the volatility index, rose 3.60% to 10.49, reflecting cautious investor sentiment.

At the time of reporting, out of 2,760 stocks traded on the NSE, 1,757 advanced, 907 declined, and 96 remained unchanged. On the BSE, of the 3,441 stocks traded, 2,079 advanced, 1,154 declined, and 208 were unchanged.