Domestic equity indices traded flat in late morning deals amid FII selling and rising crude prices. Foreign institutional investors (FII) sold shares worth Rs 1,959.39 crore on May 12, 2026. Further, cautiousness also prevailed in markets as retail inflation rate based on All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) with base year 2024 rose to 3.48% (Provisional) in the month of April 2026 as compared to 3.40% (Final) in the preceding month, mainly due to an uptick in food prices. On the BSE sectoral front, traders were seen piling up positions in Metal, Telecom, Basic Materials, Consumer Durables and Capital Goods, while selling was witnessed in Utilities, Auto, Power and IT. On the global front, Asina markets were trading mostly in green despite negative signals from the US markets overnight. Back home, in the stock specific development, Nitco surged after the company has received additional marble order worth Rs 66.65 crore (excluding taxes) from M/s Prestige Estates Projects.
The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 74551.02, down by 8.22 points or 0.01% after trading in a range of 74134.48 and 74981.34. There were 12 stocks advancing against 18 stocks declining on the index.
The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Metal up by 2.62%, Telecom up by 2.38%, Basic Materials up by 1.70%, Consumer Durables up by 1.37% and Capital Goods up by 0.82%, while Utilities down by 0.80%, Auto down by 0.65%, Power down by 0.62% and IT down by 0.40% were the top losing indices on BSE.
The top gainers on the Sensex were Asian Paints up by 4.28%, Tata Steel up by 2.12%, Bharat Electronics up by 1.90%, Adani Ports up by 1.55% and Interglobe Aviation up by 1.53%. On the flip side, Power Grid down by 3.30%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 1.63%, NTPC down by 1.30%, Maruti Suzuki down by 0.98% and Tech Mahindra down by 0.65% were the top losers.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has said that the commerce ministry is preparing granular plans to enhance the utilization of free trade agreements (FTAs) by Indian industries. The plans include sending 500 delegations abroad, training 1,000 personnel, and engaging with 1,600 industry chambers. He urged the Indian industry to increase utilisation of FTAs as it will help boost exports and attract investments amidst global economic challenges.
The minister said since 2021, India has finalised trade deals with Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, Oman, New Zealand, EFTA bloc, UK and the EU. He said that developed economies like the United States (US), Switzerland, and European Union (EU) nations possess higher per capita incomes but these economies cannot make goods at costs lower than India. He noted that while these economies possess strong technological and industrial capabilities, India has the advantage of competitive manufacturing and talent, which can help the country leverage these large markets more effectively.
Talking about the country's ambitious roadmap to achieve $2 trillion in exports of goods and services over the next 5 to 6 years, he said the government will work closely with the industry on this. He said the target is achievable with annual export growth of around 15 per cent, and expressed confidence that sectors, including automobiles, steel and startups, have the potential to drive this growth through innovation, competitiveness and expansion into global markets.
The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23409.60, up by 30.05 points or 0.13% after trading in a range of 23262.55 and 23503.80. There were 28 stocks advancing against 22 stocks declining on the index.
The top gainers on Nifty were Asian Paints up by 4.28%, Hindalco up by 3.15%, Adani Enterprises up by 2.31%, Tata Steel up by 2.04% and Bharat Electronics up by 1.80%. On the flip side, Power Grid down by 3.00%, Eicher Motors down by 2.88%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 1.49%, Shriram Finance down by 1.38% and NTPC down by 1.20% were the top losers.
Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Nikkei 225 surged 502.43 points or 0.8% to 63,245.00, Shanghai Composite strengthened 16.3 points or 0.39% to 4,230.79, KOSPI increased 180.58 points or 2.36% to 7,823.73, Hang Seng advanced 12.09 points or 0.05% to 26,360.00 and Straits Times rose 50.05 points or 1.01% to 4,996.05. However, Taiwan Weighted lost 326.18 points or 0.78% to 41,572.14 and Jakarta Composite plunged 124.36 points or 1.85% to 6,734.54.
