Local stock markets may see a muted to weaker start today. The Gift Nifty April 2026 futures are down 0.40 points, indicating a slightly weak opening for the benchmark index today. The domestic equity market ended slightly lower in last session, with BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 marginally lower.The BSE Sensex has eased 1.54% over the last one month, while the NSE Nifty has posted modest losses of 2.58% over the same period.

In Asia today, sentiment was cautious. China’s SSE Composite Index drifted lower 1.17% while Japan’s Nikkei 225 eased 1.09%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index posted modest losses of 2.65%.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,022 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1,614 crore in the Indian equity market on 21 October 2026, provisional data showed.

Overnight on Wall Street, stocks ticked up across the board. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished higher by 360.21 points, or 0.69%, and closed at 52877.09. The S&P 500 inched higher 0.59% to end at 7778.85, and the NASDAQ Composite posted modest gains of 1.08% to 26730.29.

In last session, the S&P BSE Sensex slipped 143.21 points or 0.19% to 73709.69. The Nifty 50 index edged lower 77.60 points or 0.34% to 22811.35. Infosys Ltd was top gainer in Nifty 50 yesterday, rising slightly by 3.30% to Rs 1168. The stock has risen slightly around 1.43% in last one-week and is weaker 10.47% over last one-month.

In sectoral indices, only Nifty IT index edged up yesterday, adding 2.88% on the day.