Sensex and Nifty October 5, 2026: ITC Upgrade Sparks a Relief Rally

The Sensex and Nifty on October 5, 2026 finally gave buyers something to cheer. After eight straight weekly declines, the Nifty 50 rose 133.80 points, or 0.60%, to 22,555.75, and the Sensex gained 472.77 points, or 0.66%, to close at 72,382.47. ITC did a lot of the lifting, while IT and healthcare names held the indices back.

Educational content only. Not investment advice. Index figures are from NSE’s daily index file and stock prices from NSE’s bhavcopy for October 5, 2026; the Sensex and the news behind the moves are from the reports linked below.

How the Sensex and Nifty moved on October 5

Markets were shut on October 2 for Gandhi Jayanti, as per NSE’s holiday list, so these changes are against the October 1 close. NSE’s index closing file for October 5 shows the Nifty opening at 22,532.40, slipping to 22,397.10 and then climbing to a high of 22,621.80 before settling in the upper half of its range. India Today reported that the Sensex opened at 72,340.95 and touched 72,631.93 during the day.

• Nifty Bank: 54,714.10, up 0.48%.
• Nifty FMCG: 44,579.65, up 1.80%, the best of the main sector indices.
• Nifty Consumer Durables: up 1.53%. Nifty PSU Bank: up 0.97%.
• Nifty Healthcare: down 1.00%. Nifty Pharma: down 0.74%. Nifty IT: flat, down 0.01% at 28,301.65.
• Nifty Midcap 100: 59,123.65, up 0.67%. Nifty Smallcap 100: 19,149.10, up 0.47%.
• India VIX: 14.78, up 2.21%, so traders were still paying up for protection.

ITC’s upgrade and the lenders’ updates

ITC was the top Nifty gainer, up 5.08% at ₹268.90 on NSE. India Today linked the jump to Citi’s double upgrade of the stock to “buy” from “sell”. BSE Ltd rose 4.39% to ₹3,179.60 and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles added 3.31% to ₹288.65.

Lenders with September-quarter business updates also did well. Shriram Finance rose 2.79%, and Bajaj Finance gained 2.29% to ₹970.00; India Today said Bajaj Finance had reported 11% year-on-year growth in new loans for the quarter. If you want a method for reading these updates and the results that follow, our guide on how to analyse quarterly results is a good place to start.

The weak spots were clear. HCL Technologies fell 3.31% to ₹1,201.90, Max Healthcare slipped 2.55% to ₹917.00, and HDFC Bank lost 2.27% to ₹704.80 on NSE. HDFC Bank was in focus after naming Anup Bagchi as its next MD and CEO for a three-year term, India Today reported. Apollo Hospitals (down 1.83%) and Asian Paints (down 1.70%) rounded out the bottom of the Nifty list.

Why buyers came back

Both reports put the bounce down to softer-than-expected US jobs data and cooler crude prices. India Today put WTI at $90.60 a barrel, down 0.56%, with Brent at $102.47. The Economic Times market wrap noted that breadth was not as strong as the headline: 1,846 stocks advanced on NSE against 1,745 declines, with 115 unchanged.

Foreign selling was still the big worry. Provisional NSE data quoted by India Today showed foreign portfolio investors sold ₹9,484.22 crore of shares on October 1, their sixth straight selling session, while domestic institutions bought ₹10,041.84 crore.

What we took away

One green day after eight red weeks doesn’t make a trend. What we can say is that the bounce had a clear reason (a big rating change on a heavyweight plus friendlier global cues) and that it came on the day the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee began its meeting, with the decision due on October 7. A VIX that rose on an up day tells us traders weren’t ready to relax. Readers who track levels can pair this session with our primer on technical analysis for Indian stocks.

Sources: NSE index closing values, October 5, 2026; NSE equity bhavcopy for October 5, 2026 (stock closing prices and previous closes); India Today closing report; Economic Times market wrap.

Disclaimer: This article is for information and education only and is not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Please do your own research or consult a SEBI-registered adviser before investing.