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Bourses continue lackluster trade in early afternoon session
Jul-18-2025

Indian markets continued their lackluster trade in early afternoon session amid macro-economic uncertainty. Besides, there was lot of uncertainties looming around the India- US trade policy. Traders paid no heed towards Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) Chairman S Mahendra Dev’s statement that India should negotiate a trade agreement with the US on its own terms, keeping in view the national interest. He expressed hope that India will have an advantage over other countries on tariffs once the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are signed, and it would boost exports. He said the negotiations are going on and the ultimate decision depends on the mutual interests of both countries. On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly in green as Japan's inflation softened more than expected in June but continued to remain above the 2 percent target. Core inflation that excludes fresh food cost eased to 3.3 percent in June from 3.7 percent in May, which was the highest in two years. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 81651.93, down by 607.31 points or 0.74% after trading in a range of 81608.13 and 82334.75. There were 4 stocks advancing against 26 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in red; the BSE Mid cap index declined 0.47%, while Small cap index was down by 0.51%.

The only gaining sectoral index on the BSE was Metal up by 0.23%, while Bankex down by 1.29%, Capital Goods down by 1.09%, Industrials down by 0.91%, Telecom down by 0.83%, and PSU was down by 0.73% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Tata Steel up by 1.22%, Infosys up by 0.25%, Bajaj Finance up by 0.12% and Mahindra & Mahindra up by 0.01%. On the flip side, Axis Bank down by 4.05%, Bharat Electronics down by 1.97%, Bharti Airtel down by 1.60%, Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 1.42% and Adani Ports down by 1.04% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has urged Indian Missions abroad to help address trade barriers faced by local exporters in their respective countries. While addressing Heads of the Commercial Wings posted in 74 Indian Missions abroad across 61 countries on July 16, the minister called for trade intelligence gathering, including updates on market trends, sectoral developments, and regulatory frameworks to boost India's exports. During the meeting, key Indian Missions made detailed presentations on trade promotion activities, challenges in market access, and sectoral insights. The Missions are the first point of contact for India's commercial and economic diplomacy. They play a key role in promoting Indian exports.

In his address, the minister emphasised the need for strategic interventions to address Market Access Barriers, including Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs), Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). He also called for sharing of innovative strategies and best practices that yielded good results in trade promotion and attracting investment into India, and regular dissemination of trade advisories to identify demand-supply gaps and opportunities for Indian exporters. Besides, he emphasised enhanced alignment between Missions and the Department of Commerce through data-driven planning. He called for greater synergy among Missions, Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), and Indian industry stakeholders to achieve the nation's ambition of becoming a global export powerhouse.

India's exports remained flat at $35.14 billion in June due to global economic uncertainties, while the trade deficit narrowed to a four-month low of $18.78 billion during the month. During April-June 2025-26, exports increased 1.92 per cent to $112.17 billion, while imports rose 4.24 per cent to $179.44 billion.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24933.55, down by 177.90 points or 0.71% after trading in a range of 24918.65 and 25144.60. There were 9 stocks advancing against 41 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Wipro up by 2.15%, Tata Steel up by 1.23%, Indusind Bank up by 0.65%, Infosys up by 0.22% and Bajaj Finance up by 0.19%. On the flip side, Axis Bank down by 4.09%, Bharat Electronics down by 1.98%, Shriram Finance down by 1.95%, SBI Life down by 1.89% and HDFC Life Insurance down by 1.67% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Taiwan Weighted added 269.85 points or 1.15% to 23,383.13, Hang Seng advanced 264.83 points or 1.08% to 24,763.78, Jakarta Composite gained 92.25 points or 1.25% to 7,379.27, Straits Times rose 26.13 points or 0.63% to 4,187.56 and Shanghai Composite was up by 17.96 points or 0.51% to 3,534.79. On the flip side, KOSPI dropped 4.22 points or 0.13% to 3,188.07 and Nikkei 225 was down by 82.08 points or 0.21% to 39,819.11.
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