Domestic equity markets began the new trading week on a subdued note on Monday, 28 September 2026, as broad-based selling pressure pulled benchmark indices lower right at the opening bell. The cautious sentiment across Dalal Street came immediately after markets had closed higher on the preceding Friday. While select information technology counters managed to post modest opening gains, widespread drag across banking, telecom, consumer goods, and financial heavyweight counters weighed heavily on market breadth.
Benchmark Indices Retreat at Market Opening
Trading began with immediate losses across key indices. The BSE Sensex declined by 160.91 points, representing a drop of 0.22 percent, to start the session at 73,734.83 points. Simultaneously, the broader 50-share NSE Nifty 50 slipped by 75.60 points, or 0.33 percent, beginning its trading journey at 23,064.90 points. The downward move reversed the positive momentum seen on the previous Friday when both headline indices had logged gains to finish their sessions in the green.
Widespread Drag Across Major Index Constituents
Market breadth heavily favored declines in morning trading. Within the 50-stock Nifty 50 basket, just 4 companies managed to commence operations in positive territory, leaving the remaining 46 counters to trade in the red. A comparable pattern played out on the 30-share BSE Sensex, where only 2 stocks posted gains at the open, while the remaining 28 constituent equities succumbed to opening losses.
Tech Counters Show Resilience While Bajaj Finance Leads Declines
The only positive contributions among Sensex constituents emerged from the technology space. Tata Consultancy Services, India's largest IT services firm, emerged as the top gainer with an advance of 0.28 percent at open. Tech Mahindra also eked out a marginal uptick of 0.03 percent. Conversely, non-banking financial firm Bajaj Finance experienced the steepest drop among index members, tumbling 1.12 percent at the starting bell.
Losses Spread Across Financials, Industrials, and Blue-Chip Equities
Selling was prominent across several frontline heavyweights. Private lending giant HDFC Bank slipped 1.06 percent, and Bharti Airtel shed 0.98 percent at open. Bajaj Finserv fell 0.94 percent, followed by Titan, which decreased 0.89 percent. Industrial and consumer blue chips Hindustan Unilever, Larsen & Toubro, and Mahindra & Mahindra all posted identical declines of 0.88 percent each. Banking counters Kotak Mahindra Bank and ICICI Bank fell by 0.84 percent and 0.83 percent, respectively.
Further weakness was observed in Asian Paints, Indigo operator InterGlobe Aviation, and Reliance Industries, each opening 0.78 percent lower. Retailer Trent fell 0.71 percent, while HCL Tech gave up 0.70 percent. Auto manufacturer Maruti Suzuki and Power Grid both declined 0.67 percent. Downward ticks were also recorded in Eternal at 0.61 percent, Bharat Electronics at 0.59 percent, NTPC at 0.46 percent, State Bank of India at 0.45 percent, Axis Bank at 0.36 percent, and ITC at 0.32 percent. Softer drops were registered by Infosys down 0.20 percent, UltraTech Cement down 0.11 percent, Sun Pharma and Tata Steel each losing 0.08 percent, and Adani Ports shedding 0.07 percent.
