The BSE Sensex climbed 260 points, or 0.3%, to 81,467 on Monday, marking its third consecutive gain and hitting its highest level since September 24, supported by broad-based sectoral advances. Technology, banking, and financial services stocks led the gains, rising by 1.3%, 0.8%, and 0.7%, respectively, following the central bank’s lending reforms. Market sentiment was also buoyed by optimism ahead of a busy quarterly earnings season. Meanwhile, US stock futures rose slightly as traders shrugged off concerns over the government shutdown. On the data front, final figures showed that India’s private sector grew at the slowest pace in three months in September, amid a moderation in output growth across both manufacturing and services. Among the top performers were Bajaj Finance (up 2.1%), Tata Consultancy Services (1.8%), Axis Bank (1.7%), Tech Mahindra (1.5%), and HCL Technologies (1.5%).