The Indian stock market opened higher on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, extending its gains for a fifth consecutive trading session. During early trade, the BSE Sensex rose 139.95 points, or 0.18%, to 77,057.80, while the NSE Nifty gained 21.20 points to trade at 23,832.05.
Despite weak cues from overseas markets, buying interest was observed in banking and FMCG stocks. However, the overall market advance remained limited, with several stocks also witnessing selling pressure.
The stock market has maintained its upward momentum over the past four trading sessions. On Tuesday, the Sensex surged more than 1,225 points to close at 76,917.85, while the Nifty advanced 370 points to settle at 23,810.85.
The market continued to trade in positive territory on Wednesday, although the pace of gains slowed. Buying interest was not broad-based across stocks. According to early market data, around 1,120 stocks were trading higher, while 1,261 stocks were in the red. Another 139 stocks remained largely unchanged.
The figures indicated that despite the Sensex and Nifty trading in positive territory, buying and selling activity continued across the broader market, with investors showing greater interest in selected large-cap stocks.
Banking and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) stocks outperformed during Wednesday's early trading session.
The Nifty FMCG index advanced 1.09% to 46,076.55. Financial sector stocks also traded higher, with the Nifty Financial Services index gaining 0.49% and the Nifty PSU Bank index rising 0.35%. The Nifty Bank index advanced 0.30%.
The Nifty Healthcare index gained 0.31%, while the Nifty Auto index rose 0.23%. In contrast, information technology stocks remained under pressure. The Nifty Services index also declined marginally by 0.05%.
ITC emerged as the top gainer during Wednesday's early trading session, with its shares rising 3.30% to Rs 282.95. Max Healthcare gained 2.76%, while Nestle India advanced 1.55%. Apollo Hospitals and Sun Pharma rose 1.42% and 1.39%, respectively.
Among banking stocks, State Bank of India (SBI) also recorded gains. Its shares advanced 1.21% to Rs 982.
SBI recently announced its September-quarter results, reporting a nearly 14% year-on-year increase in net profit to Rs 23,038 crore.
HDFC Bank shares gained 1.19%, while Adani Ports advanced 1.18%. Buying interest in these large-cap stocks provided support to the benchmark indices.
While banking and FMCG stocks traded higher, several companies in the IT and power sectors recorded losses.
BSE Ltd shares declined 1.48% to Rs 3,611.60. TCS fell 0.92%, Infosys declined 0.91%, and HCL Tech lost 0.88%.
Power Grid shares were down 0.96%, while NTPC declined 0.73%.
Selling pressure in these stocks limited the overall gains in the broader market.
