Indian equity indices fell after the opening bell on Thursday, October 8, as investors reacted to sell‑off cues from Asian markets, higher crude oil prices and a rebound in U.S. Treasury yields. The NIFTY 50 and BSE SENSEX opened flat and then slipped, reflecting a cautious mood among market participants. Elevated oil prices, near multi‑year highs in U.S. Treasury yields and consistent foreign investor outflows from India contributed to the subdued sentiment that dominated the early trading session during the morning hours.

IT names led the morning rally, with Tata Consultancy Services, HCL Technologies, Infosys, Tech Mahindra and Trent posting gains as investors awaited the TCS Q2 earnings release later that day. TCS rose 2.3 %, HCL Technologies climbed 2.1 %, Tech Mahindra gained 1.9 %, Infosys added 1.7 % and Trent edged up 0.9 %. The focus on the upcoming earnings report kept the sector buoyant, while other names such as Adani Enterprises, ITC, SBI Life Insurance, Adani Ports and Max Healthcare lagged behind in 2026.

The NIFTY 50 opened 0.02 % lower at 22,599.05 points on Thursday, compared with 22,603.05 points at the previous close. By 9:51 a.m. IST, the index had fallen 0.56 % to 22,477.75 points, a drop of 126 points. The BSE SENSEX opened marginally higher at 72,668 points on October 8, up from 72,638.70 points at the prior close, but by mid‑morning it was down 0.50 % to roughly 72,291 points, a decline of 353 points in the early session as market participants reacted to global factors.

Foreign institutional investors continued to sell, sustaining pressure on the market. Sectoral indices reflected the downturn, with Nifty Metal down 1.5 %, Nifty Realty down 1.7 %, Nifty India Defence down 1.4 %, and Nifty Energy down 1.2 %. Other sectors such as Nifty Financial Services and Nifty Consumer Staples also fell, contributing to the overall negative tone that prevailed across the benchmark indices during the session as global market volatility remained high and investors shifted to safer assets in the US bond market.

Crude oil prices were trading near $102 per barrel on October 8, as commodity market participants feared a second round of supply‑chain disruption risk amid frequent attacks on maritime traffic at the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Treasury yields rebounded to around 5.30 %, close to their multi‑year high, raising the appeal of fixed‑income assets over riskier emerging‑market equities. Among the top gainers, TCS led with a 2.3 % rise, followed by HCL Technologies at 2.1 %, Tech Mahindra 1.9 %, Infosys 1.7 % and Trent 0.9 %. The top laggards included Adani Enterprises down 3.2 %, ITC –2.7 %, SBI Life Insurance –2.5 %, Adani Ports –2.4 %, Max Healthcare –2.1 % and Bajaj Finance –1.7 %.