After three days of rally, Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, started the trading session with a sharp decline on Thursday, March 19, 2026, amid weak global cues as oil prices surged after Iran struck Middle East energy facilities in retaliation for an Israeli attack on the South Pars gas field. While the 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 1,953.21 points or 2.54 per cent to start the session at 74,750.92, the Nifty slipped 580.05 points to open at 23,197.75. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 76,704.13 and the Nifty 50 at 23,777.80. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index shed 250.73 points, or 1.59 per cent, in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap Select Index was down by 102.55 points or 1.40 per cent, to trade at 7,245.12.
From the Sensex pack, all 30 shares were in the red in the starting session, with HDFC Bank being the biggest loser by shedding 7.94 per cent. Kotak Bank, State Bank of India, Eternal and Axis Bank were among the stocks that fell the most.
In early trade, market breadth was negative, with 2,192 stocks declining against 256 stocks advancing on the NSE. 62 stocks remained unchanged.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a sharp gap-down opening as it opened with a dip of 510.5 points at 23,289.50, compared to the previous close of 23,800. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) extended their selling streak and offloaded equities worth Rs 2,714.35 crore on March 18, 2026. However, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) largely offset the outflows with purchases of Rs 3,253.03 crore.
Asian Markets Today
Asian stocks slipped on Thursday, tracking US stocks as oil prices rose sharply after attacks on major Middle East energy infrastructure. While Japan’s Nikkei 225 slumped 1,560.40 points or 2.87 per cent to trade at 53,655. However, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 464.42 points, or 1.77%. South Korea’s Kospi traded in the green with a fall of 96.17 points at the time of writing the report. Shanghai’s SSE Composite index was down by 38.75 points or 0.95 per cent.
