Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended lower on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) due to a fag-end sell-off in blue-chip stocks HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries, as concerns rose over the Rupee hitting a new record low.

Elevated global crude prices tracking geopolitical uncertainties also impacted market sentiment, but robust buying in IT stocks restricted the fall in indices, traders said.

After remaining in the positive territory for the most part of the session, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex suddenly came under selling pressure towards the end, declining 114.19 points, or 0.15%, to settle at 75,200.85.

During the day, it surged 431.23 points, or 0.57%, to 75,746.27 after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had halted fresh strikes on Iran at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, asserting that serious discussions were under way with Tehran that could lead to an acceptable deal. The 50-share NSE Nifty dipped 31.95 points, or 0.14%, to end at 23,618.

“IT stocks stood as a notable exception, registering robust advances on the back of anticipated tailwinds from an accelerating rupee depreciation and compelling valuations,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

From the Sensex firms, Kotak Mahindra Bank, UltraTech Cement, Titan, Adani Ports, Bharti Airtel and Sun Pharma were among the biggest laggards. Infosys, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Eternal and Tata Consultancy Services were among the major winners.

“Despite a powerful rally in IT stocks and supportive global cues during the first half, benchmark indices failed to sustain higher levels as rising currency concerns, elevated crude oil prices, and aggressive derivative unwinding dragged the market lower into the close,” K. Hariprasad, Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth, said.

The BSE SmallCap Select index jumped 1.39%, and the MidCap Select index went up by 0.93%.

Among sectoral indices, BSE Top 10 Banks declined 0.55%, Private Banks index (0.54%), Services (0.30%), Metal (90.26%) and Telecommunication (0.21%). Focused IT jumped 3.25%, IT (3.22%), Realty (1.35%), Utilities (0.67%) and Consumer Discretionary (0.60%).

Meanwhile, the rupee slipped to a record low of 96.60 against the US dollar before settling at 96.52 (provisional) on Tuesday (May 19, 2026). Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, traded 1.80% lower at $110 per barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth ₹2,813.69 crore on Monday (May 18, 2026), according to exchange data.

The majority of Adani Group stocks ended higher after the U.S. Department of Justice permanently dropped all criminal charges against business tycoon Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar, bringing a high-profile securities and wire fraud case in New York to a complete close after prosecutors concluded they could not sustain the allegations.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s benchmark Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei 225 index ended lower, while Shanghai’s Stock Exchange (SSE) Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index settled higher. Markets in Europe were trading in positive territory.

“The biggest pressure point remained the continued collapse in the Indian rupee alongside persistently elevated crude oil prices,” he added.

U.S. markets ended on a mixed note on Monday (May 18, 2026). Mr. Trump had made the announcement on Truth Social on Monday (May 18, 2026) late afternoon.

“I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday (May 19, 2026)),” Mr. Trump said.

“We were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I’ve put it off for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever, but possibly for a little while, because we’ve had very big discussions with Iran and we’ll see what they amount to,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House.

In the previous session on Monday (May 18, 2026), the BSE benchmark increased by 77.05 points, or 0.10%, to settle at 75,315.04. The Nifty edged higher by 6.45 points, or 0.03%, to end at 23,649.95.

Published – May 19, 2026 06:57 pm IST

Representative image.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A guard walks past the logo of the National Stock Exchange at its headquarters in Mumbai, September 17, 2025. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

From the Sensex pack, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, NTPC, HCL Technologies, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, IndusInd Bank and Reliance Industries were the major laggards. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Benchmark Sensex declined by 241 points while broader Nifty fell for the seventh session in a row on Monday (November 18, 2024) following a sell-off in IT and oil shares amid unabated foreign fund outflows and weak leads from the U.S. markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped by 241.30 points or 0.31% to settle at 77,339.01, registering its fourth day of decline. During the day, it fell 615.25 points or 0.79% to 76,965.06. Falling for the seventh day in a row, the NSE Nifty dipped 78.90 points or 0.34% to 23,453.80.

From the 30-share Sensex pack, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, NTPC, HCL Technologies, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, IndusInd Bank and Reliance Industries were the major laggards.

Tata Steel, Hindustan Unilever, Mahindra & Mahindra, Nestle and State Bank of India were among the gainers.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹1,849.87 crore on Thursday (November 14, 2024), according to exchange data. Foreign investors have pulled out ₹22,420 crore from the Indian equity markets so far this month, owing to high domestic stock valuations, increasing allocations to China, and the rising U.S. dollar as well as Treasury yields.

With this sell-off, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have recorded a total outflow of ₹15,827 crore in 2024 so far. Equity markets were closed on Friday (November 15, 2024) for Guru Nanak Jayanti.

“Consolidation continued in the market; a slowdown in earnings growth and a weak Rupee owing to inflation impacted the sentiment. IT stocks reacted negatively today owing to a reduced expectation of a Fed rate cut in December, which may pose a delay in spending in the BFSI segment,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services, said. The BSE smallcap index declined 0.69% and midcap index dipped 0.17%.

Among sectoral indices, BSE IT dropped the most by 2.34%, followed by tech (1.99%), oil & gas (1.64%), energy (1.21%), utilities (1.04%) and power (0.58%).

Metal jumped 2.14 per cent, while realty (0.62%), auto (0.58%), services (0.53%), consumer durables (0.29%) and bankex (0.22%) also emerged as gainers. As many as 2,486 stocks declined while 1,611 advanced and 127 remained unchanged on the BSE.

In Asian markets, Seoul and Hong Kong settled higher while Tokyo and Shanghai ended lower. European markets were trading in the negative territory. The U.S. markets ended lower on Friday (November 15, 2024). Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.49% to $71.39 a barrel.

The BSE benchmark Sensex dropped 110.64 points or 0.14% to settle at 77,580.31 on Thursday (November 14, 2024.) The Nifty declined by 26.35 points or 0.11% to 23,532.70.

Image used for representative purpose only
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Key stock indices on Monday (September 30, 2024) slid about 1.5% on fears over escalating geopolitical tensions in West Asia. 

The S&P BSE Sensex fell 1,272 points or 1.49% to 84,299.78. The Sensex stocks which lost the most included Reliance down 3.23%, Axis Bank (3.12%), M&M (2.70%), ICICI Bank (2.58%), Nestle (2.12%) and Tech Mahindra (2.10%).

The NSE Nifty-50 index, too, slid 368 points, or 1.41%, to 25,810.85.

Ameya Ranadive Chartered Market Technician, CFTe, Sr Technical Analyst, StoxBox said, “Indian shares opened significantly lower on Monday, influenced by mixed global cues and escalating geopolitical tensions involving Israel, Lebanon, and Iran.”

He said the fall in Sensex and the Nifty-50 marked their worst day in nearly two months. 

“This decline was driven by concerns over potential conflicts in the Middle East that could disrupt oil supply. Mixed economic signals from the U.S. added to the uncertainty, as recent data showed a decline in the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, fueling hopes for a potential easing of monetary policy,” he said. 

“However, investors remained cautious ahead of Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s upcoming speech at the National Association for Business Economics Annual Meeting,” he added. 

Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst, LKP Securities said this decline indicates potential further weakness. “Sentiment may remain weak in the near term,” he added.