Sensex, Nifty off day’s lows in early noon deals

Staging some recovery, Indian equity markets came off their intraday low points in early afternoon deals, on account of positive cues from other Asian markets along with buying at Realty and Capital Goods counters. However, the trading session remained bearish, with investors closely tracking crude oil prices and geopolitical developments.  

Both Sensex and Nifty remained below their respective neutral lines in early afternoon deals, however, value buying has helped the benchmarks recover somewhat from their intraday lows, as traders were selectively stepping in despite the broader risk-off sentiment. The street also took a note of the government’s latest data report showing that India’s manufacturing sector stands as a pillar of self-reliance and progress, now contributing about 16-17 percent of GDP and providing employment to over 27 million workers.

On the global front, Asian markets were trading in green, after Japan's industrial production expanded more than initially estimated in June, reaching its highest level in five months. Industrial production rose 1.9 percent month-on-month in June, significantly outpacing the 0.1 percent increase in May. The initial flash estimate had projected a more modest 0.3 percent gain.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 77711.97, down by 297.28 points or 0.38% after trading in a range of 77453.75 and 77928.68. There were 8 stocks advancing against 22 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Realty up by 0.84%, Capital Goods up by 0.49%, Industrials up by 0.28%, Metal up by 0.25% and Consumer Durables up by 0.08%, while IT down by 1.36%, TECK down by 1.12%, Utilities down by 0.85%, FMCG down by 0.64% and Telecom down by 0.61% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Bajaj Finance up by 0.58%, Eternal up by 0.57%, Titan Company up by 0.47%, Bharat Electronics up by 0.30% and Tata Steel up by 0.30%. On the flip side, Infosys down by 2.14%, HCL Technologies down by 1.86%, ITC down by 1.42%, NTPC down by 1.41% and Tech Mahindra down by 1.34% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said its concessional swap facility, introduced to encourage foreign currency inflows, has attracted $56.84 billion as of August 13, 2026. Following an encouraging response to the swap facility for Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) [FCNR(B)] deposits and the resultant forex inflows, the RBI said the facility will be available only for deposits mobilised till August 31. Earlier, the cut-off date for FCNR (B) deposits was September 30. 

The RBI said under the FCNR (B) scheme, banks offer attractive interest rates to mobilise foreign currency deposits. The Swaps under this facility, i.e. FCNR (B) deposits, may be availed with the RBI till September 11, 2026. The RBI also said the schemes for External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) and Overseas Foreign Currency Borrowings (OFCBs) will continue to remain open until December 31, 2026. Of the total inflows, FCNR (B) deposits accounted for $52.3 billion, while OFCBs contributed $2.805 billion and ECBs amounted to $1.741 billion. 

Introduced on June 8, 2026, the concessional swap facility is part of the RBI's broader strategy to strengthen India's external sector and enhance foreign exchange liquidity amid ongoing global market uncertainties.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24297.20, down by 68.80 points or 0.28% after trading in a range of 24226.95 and 24357.60. There were 21 stocks advancing against 29 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were HDFC Life Insurance up by 1.32%, Hindalco Industries up by 1.23%, Titan Company up by 0.93%, Bajaj Finance up by 0.86% and Bajaj Finserv up by 0.58%. On the flip side, Infosys down by 2.17%, HCL Technologies down by 1.83%, ITC down by 1.74%, TCS down by 1.47% and Cipla down by 1.41% were the top losers.

All Asian markets were trading in green; Taiwan Weighted added 46.26 points or 0.1% to 45,857.27, Hang Seng advanced 401.15 points or 1.6% to 25,518.00, Nikkei 225 surged 497.2 points or 0.72% to 69,211.00, Straits Times rose 1.22 points or 0.02% to 5,744.81 and Shanghai Composite strengthened 55.47 points or 1.39% to 3,982.65.