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Markets News LIVE: Sensex, Nifty Signal Steady Start As Counting Begins For State Elections
Indian equities opened higher on Monday as counting began for five state elections, with the Nifty 50 and Sensex posting gains. Auto sector led the rally, while broader markets benefited from easing oil fears and ongoing election news. Investors also tracked foreign fund flows from the prior session and global oil-price dynamics.
Why It Matters
The day marks a politically charged start to the week, with state-election outcomes expected to influence market sentiment and policy expectations amid a volatile oil backdrop.
Timeline
2 Events
May 4, 2026: Markets open higher as counting begins for state elections
May 4, 2026
The NSE Nifty50 rose 0.79% to 24,196.05 and the BSE Sensex gained 0.80% to 77,521.93 as of 9:17 am. All 16 major sectors were up at the open, with the auto index advancing about 1.7%. Hero MotoCorp rose around 2% and Maruti Suzuki gained about 4% on upbeat monthly sales data. Small-cap and mid-cap indices rose about 1%. Earlier in the week, Thursday saw the Nifty and Sensex fall roughly 0.7% as crude prices surged on Iran tensions; those fears eased after President Trump said the US would begin freeing ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude had jumped to a four-year high of around $126.41 last week and was around $109 on Monday. The rupee opened 3 paise lower at 94.95 per dollar and settled at 94.92 on Thursday. Counting of votes was underway for five assembly elections—West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry. Gift Nifty traded around 24,252, a premium of about 154 points to the Nifty futures, signaling a positive start. West Bengal-linked stocks traded mixed as early trends suggested a BJP majority, with Emami Realty up 4.99%, Emami up 3.13%, and Tata Consumer up 2.25%; downside included Garden Reach down 2.61%, Greenply down 1.23%, and Greenpanel and UCO Bank each down 0.52%. On the global front, a Japanese holiday contributed to thin trading; Nikkei futures were modestly higher, while MSCI’s Asia-Pacific index outside Japan rose about 0.6%. Analysts noted the week’s moves would hinge on state-election results, crude oil prices, foreign fund flows, and key technical levels.
April 30, 2026: FIIs net sellers, DIIs net buyers (NSE provisional data)
April 30, 2026
Provisional NSE data show foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers of shares worth Rs 8,047.86 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of shares worth Rs 3,487.10 crore on April 30, 2026.