Key gauges end flat with positive bias on Monday

Indian equity benchmarks ended flat with positive bias after moving in a narrow range throughout the session on Monday, as encouraging corporate earnings lent support to broader sentiment. However, gains were limited amid a spike in crude oil prices on growing doubts that the U.S. and Iran will come to a lasting resolution to the conflict in the near term. 

The BSE Sensex closed marginally above the flat line, supported by value buying in financial stocks. Select heavyweight stocks from Realty and Consumer Durables sectors also attracted buying interest. Titan Company emerged as the top gainer on the BSE after reporting a 63% year-on-year jump in first-quarter profit. 

Similarly, the Nifty 50 ended almost flat, with a marginal gains, ahead of its weekly F&O expiry scheduled for tomorrow. The index also found support from buying by foreign institutional investors (FIIs), who turned net buyers in Indian equities on August 7, 2026, purchasing shares worth a net Rs 480.24 crore after two consecutive sessions of selling. However, State Bank of India, ITC, and Eternal emerged as the top laggards, weighing on the headline index.

Some of the important factors in trade: 

India’s FTA usage surges as Certificates of Origin more than double in FY27 so far: Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada has said that issuance of certificates of origin, a key document for exporters seeking duty benefits under free trade agreements (FTAs), has more than doubled from 3.6 lakh in 2021-22 to over 7.8 lakh in 2026-27 so far. 

Private sector investment witnessing steady and sustained growth: Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur has said that private sector investment is witnessing steady and sustained growth, supported by the government’s continued focus on capital expenditure. 

NBFCs credit growth accelerates to 14.4% in June 2026: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its latest report has showed that non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) maintained a credit momentum in June 2026, with credit growth accelerating to 14.4%, well above the 11.1% recorded a year earlier.

US Senate’s Russia sanctions bill could hit Indian exports with 100% tariffs: Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has said that the US Senate's approval of a bill imposing sanctions on Russia could expose Indian exports to additional tariffs of up to 100 per cent if India continues to buy Russian crude oil.

Global front: European markets were trading mostly in red amid uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Investors looked ahead to U.S. inflation data due later this week, for clues about Federal Reserve's interest rate moves. Asian markets ended mostly higher after U.S. employers unexpectedly cut jobs in July and hiring figures for the prior two months were also revised downward, helping ease the risk of an immediate U.S. interest-rate hike. 

Finally, the BSE Sensex rose 43.27 points or 0.06% to 78,542.44 and the CNX Nifty was up by 13.15 points or 0.05% to 24,583.80. 

The BSE Sensex touched high and low of 78,676.98 and 78,298.92, respectively. There were 19 stocks advancing against 11 stocks declining on the index. 

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Realty up by 1.60%, Consumer Durables up by 1.21%, Capital Goods up by 0.47%, Industrials up by 0.41% and Consumer Discretionary up by 0.22%, while PSU down by 1.00%, Utilities down by 0.33%, Bankex down by 0.28%, Energy down by 0.17% and Telecom down by 0.15% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Titan Company up by 3.14%, Bajaj Finance up by 1.93%, Bajaj Finserv up by 1.15%, Tata Steel up by 1.09% and Asian Paints up by 1.07%. On the flip side, State Bank of India down by 2.19%, Eternal down by 1.57%, NTPC down by 1.52%, ITC down by 1.23% and TCS down by 0.80% were the top losers. 

Meanwhile, Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur has said that private sector investment is witnessing steady and sustained growth, supported by the government’s continued focus on capital expenditure. Quoting a recent analysis, she said it shows that private sector investment, which the CII 2023 survey had indicated green shoots were emerging, now exhibits that private investment is moving at a steady and stable pace upwards.

She said public capex has increased over five times in the last decade, from Rs 2 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs 10.7 lakh crore in 2025-26. The government has projected public capital expenditure at Rs 12.2 lakh crore for the current fiscal in the Budget. She said ‘Various indicators have shown, including the number of projects off-take, number of projects which are stalling, which is apparently at a decade low, which is a good thing. Public investment continues to play a catalytic role by crowding in private investment.’

She pointed out India's long-term growth will be determined by how effectively public and private capital is deployed to create productive assets, globally competitive industries, quality jobs and transformative innovations. She added ‘Equally important is improving access to finance, particularly for micro, small and medium enterprises, which remain the backbone for manufacturing.’

Besides, talking about the global economy, she said it is navigating a period of extraordinary uncertainty. she said geopolitical tensions, energy market volatility, fragmented trade patterns, and technological disruptions are all reshaping the global landscape. Against this backdrop, she said ‘We see that India continued to stand as a place for growth and stability over the past three years; the economy has grown at an average rate of 7 per cent while preserving macroeconomic stability’.

CNX Nifty touched high and low of 24,620.95 and 24,511.10, respectively. There were 25 stocks advancing against 23 stocks declining, while 2 stocks remain unchanged on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Titan Company up by 3.02%, Tata Consumer Products up by 2.44%, Bajaj Finance up by 2.24%, Shriram Finance up by 2.04% and Grasim Industries up by 1.73%. On the flip side, State Bank of India down by 2.39%, Eternal down by 1.51%, ITC down by 1.21%, Dr. Reddy's down by 1.13% and TCS down by 1.10% were the top losers.

European markets were trading mostly in red; UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 33.91 points or 0.31% to 10,867.18 and France’s CAC fell 1.63 points or 0.02% to 8,713.30, while Germany’s DAX gained 86.85 points or 0.33% to 26,406.30.

Asian markets ended mostly higher on Monday tracking Wall Street’s gains last Friday after sluggish US jobs data helped reduce the chances of a Federal Reserve rate hike next month, while investors globally looked ahead to Wednesday's crucial US Consumer Price Index inflation data. Although some regional gains were limited after Iran warned that it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States meets a series of conditions, denting hopes for a return to stability in global energy markets. Chinese and Hong Kong shares gained as signs of persistent deflationary pressures in China reinforced expectations of continued policy support for the economy. Data showed that, China's consumer price index rose 0.5% year-on-year in July, below forecasts for 0.8% growth following June's 1% gain. Producer price growth slowed to 3.5% from 4.1% in the previous month. South Korea’s Kospi rose after President Lee Jae Myung urged the government to accelerate AI-related investment projects, including a semiconductor cluster backed by a combined 800 trillion won investment commitment from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Japanese shares surged, while the yen steadied after the Bank of Japan's July 2026 Summary of Opinions revealed a divided board regarding the pace of future interest rate hikes. Meanwhile, Singapore market was closed in observation of Singapore's National Day.