The Sensex rallied 587.87 points to open at 75,369.63 on Tuesday as IT shares surged following the market’s reopening.

The Nifty50 opened 178.05 points higher at 23,576.15, with gains spread across multiple sectors.

Infosys was the top performer, gaining 4.22 percent in early trade, alongside HCL Tech, TCS, Tech Mahindra and HDFC Bank.

The gains came despite Brent crude oil prices remaining near $107 a barrel and mixed cues from global markets.

Indian markets had been shut on Monday for Ganesh Chaturthi, with the Sensex closing at 74,781.76 in the prior session on Friday, September 11.

Foreign institutional investor activity and crude oil price movements have remained the two most-watched factors shaping Indian market sentiment through September.

The Nifty50’s gain of over 178 points at the open reflected broad-based buying interest rather than a narrow, sector-specific rally.

Indian benchmark indices have shown notable volatility through September, swinging between sessions of sharp declines and sessions of strong recovery.

Trading volumes on the opening day after a market holiday are often elevated as investors react to news and global developments that accumulated during the closure.

Analysts have pointed to resilient corporate earnings expectations in the IT sector as a factor supporting the sharp opening gains.

The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty remain the two primary benchmarks used to track the overall health of Indian equity markets.

Infosys led the gainers on the Sensex, rising 4.22 percent in early trade, with HCL Tech, TCS, Tech Mahindra and HDFC Bank also among the top performers.

The rally in IT shares came despite mixed global cues, with Brent crude oil prices staying near $107 a barrel during the session.

Markets had been closed on Monday, September 14, for the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday, with the last trading session on Friday, September 11, seeing the Sensex close at 74,781.76.

National Stock Exchange of India, Mumbai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Banks may face a four-day disruption as a nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions begins today, September 11.

Because the strike falls on a Friday, ahead of the usual Saturday-Sunday bank holidays, customers could see extended service gaps.

The unions are demanding a five-day banking week, along with revisions to the performance-linked incentive scheme and pension-related benefits.

UFBU wants incentive pay linked to overall bank performance, with a uniform number of incentive days for employees and officers up to Scale VII.

A further three-day strike has been announced for September 28, with UFBU warning of an indefinite strike from October 26 absent a resolution.

The unions have warned of an indefinite nationwide strike beginning October 26 if their demands are not addressed by the government and bank managements.

Public sector banks are expected to be the most affected by the strike, though private banks may also see some disruption depending on local union participation.

ATM services are typically less affected during bank strikes than branch-level services such as cheque clearing, cash deposits and loan processing.

The five-day banking week has been a long-standing demand of bank employee unions, following similar transitions already adopted in other sectors.

Bank customers have been advised to complete urgent branch-dependent transactions in advance of the strike period.

The four-day disruption arises because September 11 is a Friday, followed by the regular Saturday-Sunday bank holidays, with September 14 also a holiday in some states for Ganesh Chaturthi.

UFBU’s key demands include implementation of a five-day banking week, changes to the performance-linked incentive scheme, and improved pension-related benefits.

The unions want the performance-linked incentive to be tied to overall bank performance, with a uniform number of incentive days for employees and officers up to Scale VII.

UFBU has also announced a separate three-day nationwide strike from September 28, coinciding with the half-yearly closure of banks.

State Bank of India headquarters, Mumbai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Sensex and Nifty staged a late recovery on Thursday after three straight sessions of losses, with the Sensex closing 138.38 points higher at 74,902.60.

The Nifty added 46.80 points to end at 23,477.80, with both benchmarks swinging through a volatile closing auction before settling in the green.

Crude oil prices remained above $100 a barrel throughout the session, the same factor that had pressured markets over the prior three days.

Market watchers described the gains as a technical bounce, noting the underlying crude oil and West Asia tensions remained unresolved.

Broader mid-cap and small-cap indices had outperformed the large-cap benchmarks through the recent volatile stretch.

Market participants described the session as a technical bounce after three consecutive days of losses, rather than a decisive shift in sentiment.

The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty are the two primary benchmark indices tracking the overall health of the Indian stock market.

Foreign institutional investor flows and crude oil price movements remained the two factors analysts pointed to as most likely to determine the market’s next direction.

Broader mid-cap and small-cap indices have shown more resilience than the large-cap benchmarks through the recent volatile stretch.

Indian equity markets have been closely tracking global cues, including US interest rate expectations and Gulf region developments, through September.

Wednesday’s session snapped a three-day losing streak for the Sensex and Nifty, which had fallen on each of the three preceding sessions amid crude oil price pressure.

The recovery came in a volatile closing auction session, with both benchmark indices swinging between gains and losses before settling higher.

Crude oil prices remained above $100 a barrel during the session, continuing to weigh on sentiment even as the indices posted a net gain.

West Asia tensions and their impact on oil supply have been a recurring driver of Indian market volatility through much of September.

Bombay Stock Exchange building, Mumbai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0