Benchmark equity indices bounced back on Thursday (August 20, 2026), with the Sensex climbing 628 points and the Nifty snapping its seven-day losing streak to end at 24,231.85, tracking a rally in world markets as easing global bond yields revived risk appetite.
Fresh foreign fund inflows also added to the markets’ optimism.
The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 628.04 points, or 0.82%, to settle at 77,537.72 after four days of decline. During the day, it surged 701.43 points, or 0.91%, to 77,611.11.
The 50-share NSE Nifty also bounced back after seven days of losses. It ended at 24,231.85, up 153.55 points, or 0.64%.
“Markets found much-needed relief after the US Treasury stepped in to contain the surge in global bond yields, triggering a strong broad-based rebound and ending the domestic market’s week-long losing streak. The intervention has dragged down the dollar, which, along with a firmer rupee and easing yield pressures, boosted attractiveness to EMs,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd, said.
The recovery was widespread across sectors, driven primarily by strength in IT and financial stocks, as a cooling yield environment supports spending, he said.
“Yet, the market’s optimism remains guarded as stubbornly high crude oil prices, driven by unresolved US-Iran tensions, continue to cast a shadow over inflation and corporate profitability,” Mr. Nair added.
Among the Sensex firms, Eternal, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ITC, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank and UltraTech Cement were the biggest winners.
Tata Steel, InterGlobe Aviation, HCL Tech and Titan were the laggards.
“Indian equity markets ended higher on Thursday, snapping a seven-session losing streak—the longest in nearly 11 months—as easing global bond yields revived risk appetite and encouraged investors back into equities.
“The recovery marked a decisive shift from the cautious tone that had dominated recent sessions, with benchmark indices holding on to their early gains throughout the day,” Hariselvan Radhakrishnan, Founder & CEO of HST Wealth, a SEBI-registered Research Analyst firm, said.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth ₹407.99 crore on Wednesday (August 20, 2026), according to exchange data.
In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi rebounded 5.89%. Japan’s Nikkei 225, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also ended higher.
Markets in Europe were trading mostly lower.
U.S. markets ended in positive territory on Wednesday (August 19, 2026).
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 2.67% to $93.91 per barrel.
On Wednesday (August 19, 2026), the Sensex was down 325.78 points, or 0.42%, to settle at 76,909.68, registering its fourth day of decline. Extending its losses to the seventh day, the Nifty declined 76.60 points, or 0.32%, to end at 24,078.30.
Published – August 20, 2026 04:56 pm IST
