Opening Bell: Sensex up 234 points, Nifty at 25,284.35; HCLTech leads, Cipla falls

The Indian benchmark indices opened on a positive note, despite muted indications from the GIFT Nifty futures index. The Sensex was at 82,561.20, up by 234.15 points or 0.28%, whereas the Nifty added 0.23% to rise to 25,284.35.

The hike in today’s trade tracks the rally in the US markets, which was because of US President Donald Trump changing his stance on China, after announcing that he would impose 100% tariffs on Friday.  Later, Trump took to his social media platform and said that he does not want to hurt China, but rather help it, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping “doesn’t want depression for his country”. 

Taking the lead was HCL Technologies, which posted a positive Q2 result for the current financial year, rising by 1.57% in the first hour of trade. The company posted a strong 2.4% sequential growth in constant currency terms and 4.6% year-on-year, with its services business growing 2.5% sequentially on the back of robust growth in IT and business services and ER&D services. The company saw its operating margins coming in at 17.5%, an increase of 116 basis points sequentially. 

Tata Steel stocks too rose by 1.49%, as the company, through an exchange filing, reported an update on the material litigation relating to the Sukinda Chromite Block in Odisha, where it received a demand letter in connection with the revised assessment of shortfall in dispatch of minerals and consequent appropriation of performance security. The Cuttack High Court has posted the matter for hearing on November 6, 2025.

Leading the fall in today’s trade is Cipla, falling by 0.55%, followed by Maruti Suzuki, which dipped by 0.44%. Adani Ports, which closed as a top gainer too, was among the Top 5 laggards, as it saw investors booking profits. 

On the BSE, the IT heavyweights reigned in the Top 3 spots, with Tech Mahindra, HCL Technologies and Infosys. Tech Mahindra will be announcing its Q2 results today. 

In terms of market breadth, 18 of the 30 Sensex stocks were in the green, while the rest were in the red. On the Nifty index, 34 stocks advanced, 14 declined, and 2 remained unchanged. 

Sector-wise, the indices were a mixed bag, as Nifty IT and Nifty Metal were the only outperformers, rising by 0.91% and 0.70%, respectively. Nifty Energy and Nifty Oil and Gas also rose marginally. Nifty PSU Bank was the top loser amongst its peers, as investors pared gains from yesterday’s rally. 

The broader markets were trading positively, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and the Nifty Smallcap 100 rising by 0.22% and 0.38%, respectively.