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Key gauges trade flat with positive bias in morning deals
Dec-18-2025

Indian equity benchmarks erased initial losses and were trading flat with positive bias in morning deals, due to fresh foreign fund inflows. Foreign Institutional Investors purchased equities worth Rs 1,171.71 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data. Traders took some support with CareEdge Ratings’ report stating that India's real gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to grow at 7.5 per cent in FY26. The report noted that the rupee, which is hitting lifetime lows lately and has breached the 91-mark, will appreciate and is expected to be at the 89-90 level in FY27. Sector-wise, steel industry’s stocks remained in watch as rating agency ICRA said the domestic steel demand is estimated to grow by around 8 per cent in FY26, but softer steel prices will keep margins under pressure for producers. On the global front, Asian markets are trading mostly in red as worries over the tech sector's colossal spending on artificial intelligence continued to dog investor sentiments.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 84593.96, up by 34.31 points or 0.04% after trading in a range of 84238.43 and 84606.21. There were 13 stocks advancing against 17 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in red; the BSE Mid cap index fell 0.29%, while Small cap index was down by 0.50%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 0.68%, TECK up by 0.63%, Bankex up by 0.28%, Metal up by 0.22% and Telecom up by 0.06%, while Auto down by 1.12%, Capital Goods down by 0.90%, Oil & Gas down by 0.85%, Power down by 0.78% and Industrials down by 0.74% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Infosys up by 1.31%, Axis Bank up by 0.68%, TCS up by 0.63%, ICICI Bank up by 0.51% and HCL Technologies up by 0.44%. On the flip side, Sun Pharma down by 2.26%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 1.44%, Tata Motors Passenger down by 1.39%, NTPC down by 0.72% and Power Grid Corporation down by 0.71% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has said that the free trade pact between India and Oman, expected to be signed on December 18, 2025. This will provide greater market access to Indian products such as petroleum, machinery, rice, iron and steel articles. GTRI stated currently, more than 80 per cent of Indian goods enter Oman at an average tariff of around 5 per cent, but duties vary widely from zero to as high as 100 per cent on select products such as certain meats, alcohol and tobacco.

GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said removing tariffs under the CEPA (comprehensive economic partnership agreement) is expected to improve competitiveness for Indian industrial exports, but long-term growth will depend on quality upgrades and product differentiation in Oman's relatively small market. He said for India, the main gains lie in merchandise exports.

GTRI said India's exports to Oman stood at $4.1 billion in FY25, led by naphtha ($747.6 million) and petrol ($561 million), alongside calcined alumina ($313 million), machinery ($231 million), aircraft ($165 million), rice ($182 million), iron and steel articles ($120 million), beauty and personal care products ($128.6 million) and ceramic products ($79.9 million). Besides, it said India imported $6.6 billion worth of goods from Oman in FY25, dominated by crude oil ($1.1 billion), liquefied natural gas ($1.1 billion) and fertilisers ($1.1 billion).

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 25834.45, up by 15.90 points or 0.06% after trading in a range of 25726.30 and 25841.50. There were 27 stocks advancing against 23 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Infosys up by 1.37%, Wipro up by 1.04%, Max Healthcare Inst up by 1.02%, Shriram Finance up by 1.01% and Axis Bank up by 0.78%. On the flip side, Sun Pharma down by 2.16%, Mahindra & Mahindra down by 1.43%, Bajaj Auto down by 1.42%, Tata Motors Passenger down by 1.40% and Eicher Motors down by 1.01% were the top losers.

Asian markets are trading mostly in red; Nikkei 225 slipped 414.28 points or 0.84% to 49,098.00, Taiwan Weighted lost 82.8 points or 0.3% to 27,442.37, Jakarta Composite plunged 1.96 points or 0.02% to 8,675.39, KOSPI dropped 60.10 points or 1.5% to 3,996.31, Hang Seng declined 114.78 points or 0.45% to 25,354.00 and Straits Times fell 10.98 points or 0.24% to 4,564.50.

On the flip side, Shanghai Composite strengthened 6.12 points or 0.16% to 3,876.40. 
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