Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, opened in the red amid mixed global cues as Asian markets declined after a tech-led sell-off on Wall Street, while Brent crude remains around USD 92 and fresh US sanctions on Iran and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty remain key factors in market sentiment. While the 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 73.62 points or 0.09 per cent to start the session at 77,295.49, the Nifty opened with a fall of 43.3 points to 24,175.75. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 77,369.11 and the Nifty 50 at 24,219.05. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the early trading session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index was down by 32.86 points, the BSE Smallcap Select Index shed 16.50 points or 0.18 per cent, to trade at 9,215.66.
From the Sensex pack, TCS, Tata Steel, Eternal, Adani Ports, and Titan were the gainers, with TCS leading the pack by gaining 0.80 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever, Power Grid, SBIN and Sun Pharma were among the losers, with Bajaj Finance falling over 0.64 per cent.
In early trade, market breadth was negative, with 1,274 stocks declining against 1,266 stocks advancing on the NSE. 136 stocks remained unchanged.
“The near-term outlook remains cautious to negative, with weak GIFT Nifty and softer global equities pointing to pressure at the open. Asian markets are lower following the overnight tech sell-off on Wall Street, while U.S.–Iran sanctions, crude prices and Nvidia’s upcoming earnings remain key risk factors. Strong domestic institutional inflows may offer some cushion, but volatility and stock-specific action are likely to remain elevated,” said Hitesh Tailor, Technical Research Analyst at Choice Broking Private Limited.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a negative start today as it opened with a drop of 59 points at 24,152, compared to the previous close of 24,211. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 1,181.66 crore on August 24, 2026. Similarly, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) remained buyers, buying equities worth Rs 2,493.41 crore.
Asian Markets Today
Asian equities slipped on Tuesday after Major US technology and semiconductor shares fell sharply yesterday, as threats from the United States of an “economic D-Day” of sanctions on Iran turned out to be a damp squib. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up 184.91 points or 0.28 per cent at 65,713 at the time of writing the report. However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 70.33 points or 0.28 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi dropped by 82.92 points or 1.24 per cent, and Shanghai’s SSE Composite index was down by 5.63 points or 0.15 per cent.
