Indian equity markets have made negative start but are trading slightly higher in early deals on Tuesday on account of buying in Eternal, Infosys, SBI, Maruti Suzuki and ICICI Bank. Some support came in as Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned net buyers on May 25, 2026, with a net inflow of Rs 821.75 crore. However, gains remained capped as U.S. military operations in southern Iran and President Donald Trump’s mixed messaging on the negotiations between Tehran and Washington kept traders on edge. Some cautiousness also prevailed in markets as Crisil Ratings said prolonged supply-chain disruptions due to the protracted conflict in West Asia could shave off corporate operating profitability by 200 basis points (bps) in the current fiscal year, but India Inc will remain resilient on the back of strong balance sheets.
On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly in red amid fresh US strikes on Iran, even as a ceasefire remains in place. Back home, on the BSE sectoral front, traders were seen piling up positions in Telecom, Utilities, Metal, Basic Materials and IT, while selling was witnessed in Consumer Durables, Healthcare and FMCG.
The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 76585.83, up by 96.87 points or 0.13% after trading in a range of 76224.14 and 76592.24. There were 13 stocks advancing against 17 stocks declining on the index.
The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Telecom up by 0.83%, Utilities up by 0.53%, Metal up by 0.48%, Basic Materials up by 0.44% and IT up by 0.43%, while Consumer Durables down by 0.40%, Healthcare down by 0.06% and FMCG down by 0.03% were the only losing indices on BSE.
The top gainers on the Sensex were Eternal up by 2.00%, Infosys up by 0.91%, SBI up by 0.83%, Maruti Suzuki up by 0.72% and ICICI Bank up by 0.60%. On the flip side, Bharti Airtel down by 0.59%, Sun Pharma down by 0.59%, Titan Company down by 0.51%, Bajaj Finance down by 0.51% and Trent down by 0.48% were the top losers.
Meanwhile, Moody's Ratings in its latest report has said that elevated global energy prices triggered by the ongoing West Asia conflict, are expected to weigh on the near-term credit conditions of Indian corporates, despite strong balance sheets and favourable long-term growth prospects. Stating that Indian corporates are currently well-positioned to absorb external shocks, supported by deleveraging, healthy liquidity and supportive policy frameworks, it said persistently high energy prices and structural shifts in key service industries could test credit strength over the coming quarters.
According to the report, the ongoing tensions in the West Asia will weigh on near-term earnings and cash flows for energy-intensive and fuel-dependent sectors. It said India's heavy reliance on imported crude oil, liquefied natural gas and certain petroleum products exposes corporates to higher input costs, currency volatility and supply chain disruptions.
It further said state-owned oil marketing companies and downstream fuel retailers face acute margin pressure as elevated costs are only partially passed through to consumers, while fuel-intensive sectors such as cement, chemicals, fertilisers and aviation are seeing rising cost burdens.
The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24069.40, up by 37.70 points or 0.16% after trading in a range of 23965.70 and 24072.65. There were 27 stocks advancing against 23 stocks declining on the index.
The top gainers on Nifty were Eternal up by 1.83%, Hindalco up by 1.40%, ONGC up by 1.26%, Coal India up by 1.24% and Infosys up by 0.98%. On the flip side, Max Healthcare down by 0.69%, SBI Life down by 0.64%, Tata Consumer down by 0.63%, Sun Pharma down by 0.55% and Bharti Airtel down by 0.52% were the top losers.
Asian markets were trading mostly in red; Nikkei 225 slipped 136.19 points or 0.21% to 65,022.00, Taiwan Weighted lost 99.13 points or 0.23% to 43,545.27, Jakarta Composite plunged 44.23 points or 0.71% to 6,162.12, Shanghai Composite weakened 34.72 points or 0.84% to 4,117.85 and Straits Times fell 11.34 points or 0.22% to 5,059.21. However, KOSPI increased 267.41 points or 3.41% to 8,115.12 and Hang Seng advanced 147.97 points or 0.57% to 25,754.00.
