Stock Market LIVE Updates: GIFT Nifty hints a negative start; US, Asian markets gain

Welcome to the first trading day of the week — and of November. Friday saw Nifty, Sensex and Bank Nifty face heavy losses, with all sectoral indices ending in the red except PSU Banks. As investors tread cautiously, Nifty’s record peak of 26,277.35 may remain elusive for now amid concerns over the Fed’s unclear stance on a December rate cut, uncertain U.S.–India trade talks, and a muted Q2 earnings season.

On the brighter side, India’s October GST collections rose 4.6% YoY to Rs 1.96 lakh crore, reflecting resilience despite rate rationalisation. Still, analysts believe revenue buoyancy will be better judged in the November–December data. Technically, buying is advised only above the 26,107 mark; until then, caution remains the mantra.

Markets will remain closed on Wednesday, 5 November, for Guru Nanak Jayanti.

Key Q2 results to watch include Bharti Airtel, Titan, Power Grid, Ambuja Cements, Tata Consumer, Ajanta Pharma, and JK Paper.

Preferred trades: Nifty (25,722) – Sell between 25,800–25,900; stop at 26,421; targets 25,600/25,451; aggressive 24,900–25,101.

Bank Nifty (57,776) – Sell at CMP; stop 58,751; targets 57,351/57,000; aggressive 56,600–56,700.

Stock in focus: Escorts Kubota (CMP 3,787) – Buy at CMP or on dips to 3,450–3,500; targets 3,900/4,181; aggressive 4,550–4,750; stop below 3,163; holding period 9–12 months.