The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 358.54 points to 73,624.64 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 117 points to 23,098.30. Representational file image.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended marginally higher on Monday (May 18, 2026) after facing sharp losses in intraday trade, supported by value buying in IT and select blue-chip counters.

However, a weak rupee against the U.S. dollar and rising global crude prices amid escalated tensions in West Asia capped the gains, traders said.

In an extremely volatile trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex increased by 77.05 points, or 0.10%, to settle at 75,315.04. During the day, it tanked 1,134.78 points, or 1.50%, to 74,180.26.

The 50-share NSE Nifty edged higher by 6.45 points, or 0.03%, to end at 23,649.95.

From the Sensex firms, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, HCL Tech, Bajaj Finance and Tata Consultancy Services were among the major winners.

In contrast, Tata Steel, Power Grid, State Bank of India and NTPC were major laggards.

“The prolonged stalemate between the U.S. and Iran continues to cast a shadow over near-term sentiment, yet the equity market managed to recover intraday losses and closed on a flat note, supported by value buying in IT and banking stocks. The ongoing earnings season has provided a constructive narrative, but caution persists as higher bond yields, elevated crude oil prices, and a weakening rupee reinforce inflationary concerns,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, traded 0.73% higher at $110.10 per barrel.

“Indian equity markets staged a strong intraday recovery today after witnessing weakness during the opening phase as investors shifted from panic-driven selling towards selective value buying and aggressive short covering,” Hariprasad K, Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth, said.

“One of the biggest outperformers in today’s session was the IT sector, with the Nifty IT index surging more than 2%. The sector is increasingly emerging as a defensive allocation during periods of global uncertainty,” he added.

In Asian markets, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended lower, while South Korea’s benchmark Kospi settled in positive territory.

Markets in Europe were trading on a mixed note.

U.S. markets ended over 1% lower on Friday (May 15, 2026).

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth ₹1,329.17 crore on Friday (May 15, 2026), according to exchange data.

In the previous session on Friday (May 15, 2026), the Sensex dropped 160.73 points, or 0.21%, to settle at 75,237.99. The Nifty settled lower by 46.10 points, or 0.19%, at 23,643.50, snapping its two-day gaining streak.

Published – May 18, 2026 05:17 pm IST

India’s equity benchmarks are likely to open higher on Monday (December 23, 2024), tracking gains in its regional peers on the back of benign U.S. inflation data.

The GIFT Nifty futures were trading at 23,809.5 as of 08:03 a.m, indicating the benchmark Nifty 50 will open above Friday’s close of 23,587.5. Other Asian shares rallied after data on Friday showed personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose 0.1% in November after an unrevised 0.2% gain in October. The MSCI Asia ex-Japan index was up 1.1%.

While the inflation reading has powered Asian markets, the scaling back of Fed rate cut projections for 2025 remains a concern for emerging markets such as India. The Federal Reserve had cut interest rates as expected last week, but scaled back its forecast to two rate reductions in 2025 from four, citing stubbornly high inflation.

This intensified foreign outflows from Indian equities, with the Nifty logging its worst week since June 2022 with a 4.8% drop.

Fed funds futures implied an about 50% chance of a rate cut in March and in May, though they only have two quarter-point cuts to 3.75-4.0% priced in for all of 2025, compared to prior expectations that rates would bottom out at 3.0% a few months ago.

Foreign institutional investors sold domestic shares worth 35.98 billion rupees ($423.3 million) on Friday, taking their total weekly outflows to $1.86 billion.

“The latest correction in Indian markets has cooled off valuations in large-caps,” said Motilal Oswal Wealth Management.

Stocks to watch

India’s competition watchdog approves Ultratech Cement’s acquisition of India Cements. Drug maker Aurobindo Pharma’s unit gets approval for oncology biosmilar Bevqolva from UK’s drug regulator. Steel stocks like Tata Steel, JSW Steel will be in focus after India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) initiates safeguard probe on imports of non-alloy and alloy steel flat products.