Markets continue to trade lower in late morning trade

Domestic markets remained weak in late morning trade amid selling pressure from funds and retail investors. Traders remained cautious as crude oil prices edged higher after the U.S. threatened to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely. Further, sentiment remained subdued, with Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) emerging as net sellers and recording an outflow of Rs 510.69 crore on August 13, 2026. Besides, traders overlooked a report by the Commerce Ministry, which showed that India’s merchandise exports rose 19.63 per cent to $44.24 billion in July 2026, compared with $36.98 billion in July 2025, driven by a jump in shipments of petroleum products.

Both Sensex and Nifty were trading lower by 0.45% and 0.33%, respectively, weighed down by selling in index heavyweights such as Infosys, Reliance Industries, TCS, Larsen & Toubro, and Hindustan Unilever. On the BSE sectoral front, traders were seen accumulating positions in Telecom, TECK, Consumer Durables, and Realty, while selling was witnessed in Metal, IT, PSU, Basic Materials, and Energy. On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly higher, tracking positive cues from the US markets overnight. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 77731.12, down by 348.84 points or 0.45% after trading in a range of 77684.37 and 77923.58. There were 4 stocks advancing against 26 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Telecom up by 1.35%, TECK up by 0.37%, Consumer Durables up by 0.12% and Realty up by 0.06%, while Metal down by 1.05%, IT down by 0.85%, PSU down by 0.82%, Basic Materials down by 0.75% and Energy down by 0.52% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Bharti Airtel up by 2.09%, Adani Ports up by 0.90%, Titan Company up by 0.48%, Eternal up by 0.19% and ICICI Bank up by 0.02%. On the flip side, Tech Mahindra down by 1.93%, HCL Technologies down by 1.71%, Tata Steel down by 1.68%, Asian Paints down by 1.67% and NTPC down by 1.58% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal has said that India is in ‘regular contact’ with the United States (US) regarding negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA). According to him, both countries are committed to the framework deal that was agreed upon in February, 2026. Besides, he said that a key benefit of a trade deal is that it brings greater stability and predictability in the trade relationship so that businesses can work along. In February, both countries finalised contours for the first phase of the BTA. However, changes in the tariff landscape in the US have led to further negotiations on the agreement between the two countries. 

At present, the US has imposed an additional 10 per cent duty on Indian goods under a Section 301 probe on alleged forced labour concerns. On the issue of the United States of America’s Russian oil tariff bill, he said it is a legislative process of the US, which is underway and is their internal process.

Earlier this month, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve a bill to punish Russia and key buyers of its petroleum products, such as China and India, claiming that such trade helps fuel the Ukraine war. This bill will allow US President Donald Trump to impose 100 per cent tariffs on goods from countries that are the top five importers of Russian oil and gas.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24315.80, down by 80.05 points or 0.33% after trading in a range of 24296.80 and 24365.00. There were 14 stocks advancing against 36 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Apollo Hospital up by 2.91%, Bharti Airtel up by 2.91%, Adani Ports up by 1.60%, Adani Enterprises up by 1.35% and Bajaj Auto up by 0.59%. On the flip side, Tata MotorsPassenger down by 4.78%, Hindalco Industries down by 1.85%, JIO Financial down by 1.84%, Asian Paints down by 1.66% and Tata Steel down by 1.54% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Nikkei 225 surged 529.41 points or 0.78% to 68,838.00, Jakarta Composite gained 35.42 points or 0.56% to 6,337.19, KOSPI increased 160.88 points or 2.31% to 6,974.22 and Straits Times rose 8.28 points or 0.14% to 5,728.33. However, Shanghai Composite weakened 2.53 points or 0.06% to 3,924.43, Hang Seng declined 223.51 points or 0.89% to 25,173.00 and Taiwan Weighted lost 210.47 points or 0.46% to 45,811.01.