GIFT NIFTY indicates positive opening for markets amid drop in crude despite weak Asian cues

The Indian equity benchmarks are set to open higher on Monday, October 26, as indicated by NIFTY futures traded at GIFT City in Gandhinagar. GIFT NIFTY futures advanced 38 points to 22,615 tracking a sharp fall in crude oil despite subdued cues from Asian markets.

Indian markets dropped for a fourth straight session on Friday wiping out ₹21.63 lakh crore from market capitalisation of the companies listed on the BSE.

The S&P BSE SENSEX settled at the 73,123.83 level, falling 125.56 points, or 0.17%, while the NSE’s NIFTY50 index slipped 87.65 points, or 0.39%, to end at the 22,600 level.

Asian shares were trading on a subdued note as investors awaited monetary decisions from major central banks due later this week and an array of corporate earnings.

Japan's Nikkei fell 0.61%, China's Shanghai Composite declined 0.51%, South Korea's KOSPI dropped 1.24% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slipped 0.06%.

Brent crude futures dropped nearly 2%, from its six-month high, to $109.66 per barrel, although ongoing attacks on Saudi Arabia kept supply concerns in focus.

Attacks continued over the ‌weekend ⁠with Houthis saying they had attacked the Saudi airport and oil facilities on Saturday. Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had ⁠intercepted more missiles and drones.

The top oil exporter restarted partial operations at its main airport on ⁠Sunday after damage in a previous round of Houthi attacks even as ⁠the militant group vowed to keep targeting the facility, the report added.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth ₹888 crore on Friday while domestic institutional investors purchased shares worth ₹3,235 crore.

Several major stocks like IndiGo, Ather Energy, L&T, Paytm, Maruti Suzuki, Mazagon Dock, Adani Enterprises, and Vedanta Group entities, among others are set to be in focus of investors as the companies are set to declare their July to September quarter earnings for the financial year 2026-27 in the upcoming week starting from October 26.

Kotak Mahindra Bank and Infosys will be on investors' radar as they reported earnings after market hours starting Friday.

Infosys, the country's second largest information technology (IT) services company on Friday reported a consolidated net profit of ₹7,823 crore in the second quarter of current financial year, marking an increase of 6% from ₹7,364 crore a year earlier. On a sequential basis, its net profit rose 0.7% from ₹7,769 crore.

Kotak Mahindra Bank on Saturday reported a 29% increase in profit after tax to ₹4,212 crore, aided by core income growth and lower provisions.

Its core net interest income was up 16 per cent to ₹8,459 crore, helped by a 25% jump in net advances and constrained by a 0.23% compression in the net interest margin.

The bank said the mobilisation of ₹55,344 crore of FCNR(B) deposits under the RBI's concessional swap facility led to the NIM compression during the reporting quarter.