The NIFTY50 and BSE SENSEX rose on Tuesday, October 13, after opening flat at 22,364.15 and 71,951.73 respectively, compared with 22,363.35 and 71,924.68 at the previous close. Early intraday gains were driven by heavyweight IT stocks, with HCL Technologies and Tata Consultancy Services leading the rally. By 9:29 a.m. IST, the NIFTY50 was trading 0.47% higher near 22,470 points, while the SENSEX was up 0.53% around 72,310 levels, reflecting sustained investor interest in the sector.

HCL Technologies’ Q2 earnings, released on Tuesday, showed an 11% sequential rise in consolidated net profits to ₹5,132 crore, while revenues grew 3% QoQ to ₹35,620 crore. In constant currency terms, revenues increased 2% QoQ to $3,724 million, and the company’s margin expanded by 131 basis points to 18.2% from 16.3% in the prior quarter. Advanced artificial intelligence revenue reached $219 million in constant currency, underscoring the firm’s focus on AI services.

The positive earnings backdrop was tempered by cautious sentiment over crude oil prices, which hovered near $106 per barrel amid escalating West Asia tensions. Brent crude remained in the $105‑106 range as fears of supply chain disruptions persisted after recent missile attacks in Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump criticised the Houthis in Yemen for attacks that killed at least 20 people and injured hundreds at Riyadh’s King Khalid International and Dammam’s King Fahd International airports.

On the geopolitical front, Iran was reportedly reviewing a US response to its proposal to re‑open the Strait of Hormuz, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stating that Iran would reply via intermediaries once the review concluded. These developments added to investor caution, despite a pullback in US Treasury yields to 5.19% on Monday, which provided some comfort for emerging market bets amid the dynamic conflict.

Among the top gainers on the morning session, TCS rose 4.3%, HCL Technologies 3.9%, Tech Mahindra 2.2%, Nestle India 2.1%, and Infosys 1.9%. Lagging stocks included NTPC down 0.81%, Max Healthcare down 0.69%, Kotak Mahindra Bank down 0.47%, Power Grid Corp. down 0.38%, and Tata Motors PV down 0.37%. Out of the 50 NIFTY50 constituents, 42 were in the green zone and 8 were in the negative territory as of 9:45 a.m. IST.

The GIFT NIFTY futures at Gandhinagar opened 0.08% higher at 22,439.50 points, indicating a flat but positive start as investors focused on the pullback in US Treasury yields amid the Q2 earnings season. The market’s early gains were supported by the healthy earnings report from HCL Technologies in the September quarter of FY27, while global cues and oil price concerns kept investors cautious. The overall sentiment remained mixed, with IT stocks providing a key lift to the benchmark indices.