Dalal Street geared up for a muted start to November trading as both benchmarks rang the opening bell on a mixed note. The Sensex opened the day below 83,900, falling more than 60 points and the Nifty began the session on a flat note at 25,699, around 9:15 AM.
In the pre-open session, the Sensex plunged more than 850 points to test 83,100, while the Nifty shifted near 25,450, around 9:02 AM. The GIFT Nifty traded over 30 points higher over 25,850, around 8:22 AM today, indicating a modest start for domestic indices amid a data-heavy and earnings-driven week.
Macro Data and Earnings to Dominate Sentiment
The week ahead will be eventful but shorter, as markets will remain closed on Wednesday for the Guru Nanak Gurpurab holiday. Analysts expect market activity to be shaped largely by quarterly earnings releases, key macroeconomic data, and global trends.
On the macro front, investor focus will shift to the final readings of the HSBC Manufacturing PMI, alongside the HSBC Services and Composite PMI data, which are expected to shed light on the pace of India’s economic expansion.
“Several index heavyweights are set to announce their quarterly results this week, including Bharti Airtel, Titan Company, Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, InterGlobe Aviation, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Lupin, Bajaj Auto, and Hindalco,” said Ajit Mishra, SVP – Research at Religare Broking Ltd. These earnings reports will likely dictate sectoral moves and influence the broader market direction.
Global Trends and FPI Activity in Focus
Globally, markets will take cues from trade developments, geopolitical updates, and trends in major international indices, analysts said. With foreign institutional investors (FIIs) turning net buyers in October, pumping in Rs 14,610 crore after three months of outflows, traders will be closely watching whether this momentum sustains through November.
“Markets are likely to take cues from a busy macro calendar this week, with a series of S&P Global manufacturing and services PMI readings for India and other key economies providing fresh insights into global growth momentum,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money. “These data points, along with movements in the Indian rupee against the US dollar, will play a crucial role in shaping investor sentiment and sectoral trends,” he added.
Mixed Results and Profit-Booking Define Recent Trend
In the previous week, the Sensex fell 273.17 points (0.32 per cent), while the Nifty slipped 73.05 points (0.28 per cent) as investors resorted to profit-taking after a strong rally in the earlier sessions.
“The Indian markets wrapped up the last week of October with profit-booking as investors took some chips off the table after the sustained rally,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. He added that the coming days will see markets closely tracking India’s trade negotiations with the US and corporate earnings, which so far have been mixed.
Analysts suggest that the positive start in the GIFT Nifty reflects mild optimism among traders, but volatility may persist through the week due to macroeconomic announcements and global market signals. Investors are expected to adopt a stock-specific approach, focusing on corporate earnings, FPI trends, and global risk appetite.
