A day after a sharp decline, Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, rebounded on Friday, March 20, 2026, amid a modest decline in crude oil prices. While the 30-share BSE Sensex gained 352.14 points or 0.47 per cent to start the session at 74,559.38, the Nifty added 108 points to open at 23,110.15. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 74,207.24 and the Nifty 50 at 23,002.15. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the green in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index jumped 119.88 points, or 0.79 per cent, in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap Select Index was up by 62.32 points or 0.87 per cent, to trade at 7,206.39.
From the Sensex pack, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Eternal, Infosys and Larsen & Toubro were among the gainers, with Tech Mahindra leading the pack by gaining 2.76 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, HDFC Bank and Bajaj Finance were in the red with HDFC Bank being the biggest loser by falling 1.81 per cent.
In early trade, market breadth was positive, with 2,081 stocks advancing against 259 stocks declining on the NSE. 62 stocks remained unchanged.
“For day traders, weak sentiment is likely to continue as long as it trades below 23,200/74500. On the downside, the market could slide to 22,850–22650-22,500/74000-73500–73000. On the other hand, above 23,200/74500, the pullback could extend to 23,450–23,500/75000–75200,” said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a flat opening as it opened with a dip of 15.5 points at 23,104.50, compared to the previous close of 23,120. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) extended their selling streak for the fifteenth consecutive day and offloaded equities worth Rs 7,558.19 crore on March 18, 2026. However, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) largely offset the outflows with purchases of Rs 3,863.96 crore.
Asian Markets Today
Asian stocks opened higher after US stocks recovered from intraday lows as oil prices declined after briefly rising above USD 119 per barrel. Japan’s market is closed today for Vernal Equinox holiday. At the time of writing the report, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down by 165.58 points or 0.65 points. However, South Korea’s Kospi traded in the green with a gain of 37.97 points at the time of writing the report. Shanghai’s SSE Composite index was up by 6.61 points or 0.16 per cent.
(This article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, financial, or other advice.)
