FX.co ★ Sensex Starts Week Slightly Lower

India’s BSE Sensex slipped about 0.2% to 76,350 at the open on Monday, giving up gains from the previous session amid weakness in technology stocks. Sentiment was also pressured as investors weighed the likelihood of higher US interest rates after stronger-than-expected US labor market data, while Brent crude hovering near $97 a barrel stoked worries over India’s import bill and inflation.

Market participants were additionally monitoring changes to pre-open session rules, which could heighten volatility at the start of trading. Among individual names, Tata Consultancy Services fell 0.8% but stayed in the spotlight after the IT major unveiled plans to invest 700 billion rupees in an AI data-center campus in Telangana, signaling sustained commitment to AI infrastructure despite near-term concerns about US demand.

Other notable decliners included Jindal Worldwide (-5.8%), New India Assurance (-1.5%), Infosys (-2.5%), Steel Authority of India (-3.2%), and HDFC Bank (-0.3%).