The Indian benchmark indices are poised to open on a tepid note, tracking mixed global cues.

In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei 225 index hit a record high, as the ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, elected Sanae Takaichi as its new leader and is expected to become the next prime minister.

On the other hand, the US government is in its fifth day of the shutdown, as little progress has been made to finalise a deal. Even the purchasing managers index (PMI) has seen a decline to 50 in September from 52 in August, marking a slowdown in new orders.

The Asian markets were a mixed bag, as the Nikkei 225 soared by 4.49%, while Singapore’s Straits Times and South Korea’s KOSPI traded flat with positive bias. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng bucked the trend to trade lower by 0.75% on Monday. 

The US markets also ended their Friday session on an ambiguous note, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.51%, to 46,758.28, while the S&P 500 advanced marginally by 0.01%, to 6,715.79. Whereas, the Nasdaq Composite closed 0.28%, lower at 22,780.51. 

On the domestic front, the Gift Nifty futures index failed to provide strong cues for the benchmark indices. At 8:10 am, the Gift Nifty index was up by 5 points or 0.02%, at 24,955.50. 

Indian investors would be tracking Q2FY2026 results, IPO activity, as companies like Tata Capital and WeWork will be opening to the public, and gold prices, to decide today’s trading session.

 Stocks in focus:

Bank stocks - HDFC Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bank of Baroda, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Punjab National Bank, and IDBI Bank, along with other smaller banks, have announced their Q2 results over the weekend. 

Avenue Supermarts - DMart’s parent company also announced its Q2 results, recording a 15% year-on-year (YoY) rise in standalone revenue from operations, while revenue reached ₹16,219 crore, compared to last year’s corresponding quarter’s ₹14,050 crore.

Lupin - The company noted the U.S. FDA inspection at the Pithampur Unit-2 manufacturing facility from July 8 to July 17, 2025, wherein the inspection was closed with the issuance of a Form-483 with four observations. The US FDA has determined the inspection classification of the facility as “Official Action Indicated (OAI)”. 

FSN E-Commerce Ventures Limited - The company reported through an exchange filing that it has consolidated gross merchandise value or GMV growth expected to be close to the thirties, compared to mid-twenties in the last few quarters. Nykaa’s beauty vertical reported NSV and net revenue growth of mid-twenties, whereas its fashion vertical’s Net Revenue growth for the vertical is lower than NSV growth due to a lag in advertising and marketing income.

Vodafone Idea - Tejas Mehta has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company, effective October 6, following the completion of Murthy GVAS’s tenure as CFO.

Hindustan Zinc - The Company has received an order from the Office of the Commissioner, Central Goods & Service Tax - Udaipur, confirming a penalty of ₹73,46,112 along with tax demand and applicable interest. The company said that it will file an appeal before the Appellate Authority and is hopeful of a favourable outcome thereof, and does not expect to have any material financial impact.