Sensex, Nifty hit fresh lifetime highs in early trade

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty hit their fresh all-time highs in early trade on Monday as investors' sentiment turned positive after India's economy grew at a higher-than-expected 8.2 per cent in July-September - the fastest pace in six quarters.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 452.35 points to 86,159.02 — its record peak. The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 122.85 points to hit a lifetime high of 26,325.80.

From the Sensex firms, Adani Ports, Bharat Electronics, Eternal, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, State Bank of India and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the biggest gainers.

However, ITC, Bajaj Finance, Titan and Tech Mahindra were the laggards.

India's economy grew at a higher-than-expected 8.2 per cent - the fastest pace in six quarters - in July-September, as front-loading of production ahead of GST rates cut boosted consumption that helped offset the impact of steep US tariffs.

"New record highs for the Nifty appear set to become the new norm, buoyed by India's Q2 FY26 GDP print of 8.2per cent and broad-based sectoral strength," Prashanth Tapse l, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.

In Asian markets, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index quoted in positive territory, while South Korea's Kospi and Japan's Nikkei 225 index traded lower.

US markets ended higher on Friday.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 3,795.72 crore on Friday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth Rs 4,148.48 crore, according to exchange data.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 1.62 per cent to USD 63.39 per barrel.

On Friday, the Sensex dipped by 13.71 points or 0.02 per cent to settle at 85,706.67. The Nifty skidded 12.60 points or 0.05 per cent to 26,202.95.