HOME > MARKETS > MARKET COMMENTARY
  MARKET COMMENTARY
EQUITY
Markets pare gains in late afternoon trade
May-22-2026

Indian equity benchmarks pared some gains in late afternoon session amid some profit booking ahead of weekend. Further, traders took cautious stance as Brent crude oil prices surged more than 3% to trade near $106 a barrel mark. However, markets continued trade above the neutral lines as investors were sanguine about India-US trade deal after US Ambassador Sergio Gor expressed confidence over India-US trade deal, which is likely to be finalised in coming weeks or months, saying the US is looking forward to sealing the proposed bilateral trade agreement with India. He said the deal will facilitate expanding market access, reduce barriers, and create greater certainty for businesses.

On the global front, all Asian and European equity markets were trading higher amid renewed optimism about signs of progress in U.S.-Iran peace talks. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 75514.93, up by 331.57 points or 0.44% after trading in a range of 75230.75 and 75810.97. There were 17 stocks advancing against 13 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Bankex up by 1.06%, Consumer Durables up by 1.00%, Telecom up by 0.95%, Metal up by 0.48% and Consumer Discretionary up by 0.43%, while Healthcare down by 0.91%, TECK down by 0.29%, IT down by 0.23%, PSU down by 0.21% and Realty down by 0.17% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Trent up by 3.33%, Axis Bank up by 2.42%, Asian Paints up by 2.23%, ICICI Bank up by 1.75% and Hindustan Unilever up by 1.52%. On the flip side, Power Grid Corporation down by 1.72%, ITC down by 1.56%, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries down by 1.48%, Bharat Electronics down by 1.08% and Bharti Airtel down by 0.58% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its latest report has showed that India's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) commitments declined by 10.81% to $5644.38 million in April 2026 as against $6,328.51 million in April 2025, as lower loan and guarantee commitments outweighed a sharp rise in outbound equity investments by Indian companies.

In March 2026, OFDI commitments stood at $5084.78 million. According to the report, equity commitments jumped 71.11% to $3368.80 million in April 2026, from $1,968.75 million in April 2025. They were also 108.87% higher than $1612.88 million equity commitments recorded in March 2026.

The report further noted that loan commitments stood at $517.75 million in April 2026, 53.81% down from $1,121.01 million in April 2025. Besides, guarantees issued also decreased sharply by 45.72% to $1757.84 million in April 2026 from $3,238.75 million in April 2025.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23745.25, up by 90.55 points or 0.38% after trading in a range of 23671.00 and 23835.65. There were 31 stocks advancing against 19 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Trent up by 3.20%, Shriram Finance up by 2.76%, Axis Bank up by 2.47%, Wipro up by 2.29% and Asian Paints up by 2.26%. On the flip side, Max Healthcare Inst down by 6.79%, ONGC down by 1.89%, Power Grid Corporation down by 1.67%, ITC down by 1.64% and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries down by 1.42% were the top losers.

All Asian equity markets were trading higher; Nikkei 225 surged 1510.86 points or 2.39% to 63,195.00, Taiwan Weighted added 899.76 points or 2.13% to 42,267.97, Hang Seng advanced 228.48 points or 0.89% to 25,615.00, KOSPI increased 32.12 points or 0.41% to 7,847.71, Straits Times rose 20.62 points or 0.41% to 5,066.33, Shanghai Composite strengthened 35.62 points or 0.87% to 4,112.90 and Jakarta Composite gained 20.96 points or 0.34% to 6,115.90.

European equity markets were trading higher; UK’s FTSE 100 increased 32.95 points or 0.32% to 10,476.42, France’s CAC rose 23.8 points or 0.29% to 8,109.80 and Germany’s DAX gained 63.53 points or 0.26% to 24,670.30.
  RELATED NEWS >>
Most Viewed >>
EXPLORE
© CITRUS INTERACTIVE
Designed & Developed Accord Fintech Pvt. Ltd.