Stock Market LIVE Updates, Sensex Today: Markets Likely To Start Higher As Oil Prices Ease, GST Collections Rise

"Bitcoin traded near $78,482, while Ether hovered around $2,292, as cryptocurrencies staged a modest recovery following last week's sell-off. Both remained lower over seven days, with Bitcoin down 1.39% and Ether declining 0.75%. Total cryptocurrency market capitalisation stood near $2.63 trillion.

The broader backdrop remained cautious ahead of Tuesday's US midterm elections, October US jobs data and several central bank decisions. The US market showed the Nasdaq down 2.86%, the S&P 500 declining 1.82% and the Dow falling 1.09%. The VIX rose 12.91% to 19.42, signalling increased demand for protection against market swings.

Asian equities showed greater resilience. The Nikkei gained 0.12%, while the Shanghai Composite and Sensex each advanced 0.42%. South Korea's KOSPI rose 1.21%.

Derivative exposure remained substantial. CoinMarketCap's dashboard showed approximately $291.31 billion in perpetual open interest and $1.18 billion in dated futures open interest. Crypto's recovery remains tentative, with election developments, economic data and confidence in exchange security likely to shape near-term sentiment.

Retail investors should prioritise capital preservation ahead of the US elections, avoid chasing the rebound and stagger any planned spot purchases within an affordable risk budget. For experienced futures traders, considering BTC longs only after a sustained move above $80,000 and a successful retest would be viable; a break below $77,000 followed by a failed recovery could favour shorts. For ETH, sustained trading above $2,300 followed by a successful retest could support a long setup, while a break below $2,200 and a failed recovery could favour short positions."