Post Session: Quick Review

Indian equity markets trimmed their intraday losses but ultimately ended in negative territory on Friday, as investors remained cautious amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty and persistent concerns over global crude oil supplies. Market participants closely monitored ongoing diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The BSE Sensex ended just below the neutral line amid broad-based selling pressure, despite strong global cues. However, buying interest in telecom stocks provided some support, with Bharti Airtel emerging as the top performer on the index.

Similarly, the Nifty 50 ended lower, extending its decline for the fourth consecutive session amid rising selling pressure from foreign institutional investors. Meanwhile, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles came under pressure and emerged as the top laggard on the index, falling nearly 4.7% after the company reported an 80% fall in first-quarter profit.

Some of the important factors in trade:

FIIs remain net sellers: 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. 

India's merchandise exports jump 19.6% in July: 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.

India’s wholesale inflation shows mild cooling at 9.78% in July: Traders paid no heed to India’s Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation, which showed a mild cooling in July 2026, with inflation easing to 9.78 per cent from 9.87 per cent in June 2026.

On the global front: European markets were trading mostly higher, as investors digested regional inflation data and closely monitored ongoing diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid persistent threats. Asian markets ended mostly in green following the positive cues from Wall Street overnight.

The BSE Sensex ended at 78009.25, down by 70.71 points or 0.09% after trading in a range of 77684.37 and 78048.91. There were 8 stocks advancing against 22 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The few gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Telecom up by 0.86%, TECK up by 0.65%, Consumer Durables up by 0.17% and Capital Goods up by 0.11% while, PSU down by 0.69%, Oil & Gas down by 0.45%, Energy down by 0.44%, Metal down by 0.38%, and Basic Materials down by 0.38% were the top losing indices on BSE. (Provisional)

The top gainers on the Sensex were Bharti Airtel up by 2.49%, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone up by 2.06%, Titan Company up by 0.63%, Eternal up by 0.42% and ICICI Bank up by 0.34%. On the flip side, Asian Paints down by 1.87%, NTPC down by 1.54%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.31%, State Bank of India down by 1.22% and Bajaj Finserv down by 1.21% were the top losers. (Provisional)

Meanwhile, the Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has said that India's exports to the West Asian region rose 8.62 per cent year-on-year to $5.7 billion in July 2026, up from $5.2 billion a year earlier, despite ongoing global uncertainties. He said exports to the region had declined for the first time in March amid the US-Iran conflict but recovered in April and strengthened further in May and June. He said trade with West Asia has now returned to earlier levels. India normally exports goods worth around $6 billion a month to the West Asian region.

India’s exports to the UAE increased 10.15 per cent to $3.3 billion, while shipments to Saudi Arabia fell 2.73 per cent to $763.7 million. Imports from both countries declined in July 2026, whereas imports from Oman surged 150.36 per cent to $1.57 billion. 

Indian exporters are using three ports (Duqm, Sohar and Salalah) in Oman, along with the Port of Fujairah in the UAE, to maintain shipments to the region. The Port of Jebel Ali, which previously handled a significant share of regional cargo, has faced operational disruptions due to the ongoing conflict. The US-Iran conflict has also affected the movement of cargo vessels in international waters, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.    

The CNX Nifty ended at 24366.00, down by 29.85 points or 0.12% after trading in a range of 24296.80 and 24405.20. There were 11 stocks advancing against 39 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gainers on Nifty were Apollo Hospitals Enterprise up by 3.73%, Bharti Airtel up by 2.73%, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone up by 2.53%, Adani Enterprises up by 2.37% and ICICI Bank up by 0.73%. On the flip side, Tata Motors Passenger down by 4.32%, JIO Financial Services down by 2.56%, Asian Paints down by 2.15%, Hindalco Industries down by 1.60% and ONGC down by 1.46% were the top losers. (Provisional)

European markets were trading mostly in green; Germany’s DAX gained 184.66 points or 0.7% to 26,484.40 and France’s CAC rose 4.84 points or 0.06% to 8,655.40, while UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 5.82 points or 0.05% to 10,766.85.

Asian markets ended mixed on Friday as caution grew over rising US Treasury yields following statements that a US naval blockade of Iranian ports could continue indefinitely, and as investors awaited US retail sales and consumer sentiment readings due later in the day. Meanwhile, mild US inflation figures raised optimism that the US Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady next month. Japanese shares gained by tracking a strong lead from Wall Street. Meanwhile the yen held steady despite reports suggesting that the Bank of Japan is eying a September rate hike and could move more aggressively with subsequent increases to stem the currency's falls. South Korea’s Kospi climbed, with technology stocks leading the gains on renewed optimism over AI spending. South Korean markets rose as data showed South Korea's export prices surged 49.1% year-on-year in July, marking the largest increase since 1998 during the Asian financial crisis.