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EQUITY
Post Session: Quick Review
Jun-18-2026

Indian equity benchmarks ended higher on Thursday, supported by optimism over the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, which is set to formally come into force on July 15, 2026. After making negative start, soon indices traded in a narrow range and remained volatile for most part of the session, weighed down by heavy selling in IT stocks. Market participants remained cautious after the Federal Reserve indicated the possibility of a rate hike later this year. However, strong buying interest in the final hour of trade helped the benchmarks to rebound sharply and close near the day's highs.

Some of the important factors in trade:

India, UK free trade pact to formally enter into force on July 15: Traders took support with the report stated that India and the UK have announced that the free trade agreement will come into force on July 15, a move which is expected to help double two-way commerce to $100 billion by 2030.

RBI infuses Rs 72,300 crore into banking system through VRR auctions: Some support also came as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) infused Rs 72,300 crore transient liquidity through two Variable Rate Repo (VRR) auction into the banking system after surplus liquidity narrowed following advance tax payments.

Govt may extend import duty exemption on 40 products beyond June 30: Traders took note of reports that the government is likely to take a call on extending the import duty exemption on around 40 products beyond June 30, after analysing the evolving situation in West Asia and its associated revenue implications. 

On the global front: European markets were trading mostly in green after the U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged. Asian markets closed mostly in green after reports that the US-Iran peace agreement had been finalized and digitally signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The BSE Sensex ended at 77409.98, up by 254.36 points or 0.33% after trading in a range of 76953.00 and 77492.33. There were 20 stocks advancing against 10 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Utilities up by 1.76%, Power up by 1.32%, Telecom up by 1.12%, Healthcare up by 0.92% and PSU up by 0.71%, while IT down by 1.12%, TECK down by 0.77%, Energy down by 0.16% were few losing indices on BSE. (Provisional)

The top gainers on the Sensex were Interglobe Aviation up by 2.80%, Trent up by 2.62%, NTPC up by 2.00%, Bharat Electronics up by 1.93% and HDFC Bank up by 1.80%. On the flip side, Infosys down by 2.64%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.07%, Maruti Suzuki down by 1.04%, TCS down by 0.86% and HCL Technologies down by 0.74% were the top losers. (Provisional)

Meanwhile, the Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that India’s electronics industry has grown rapidly, with production reaching around Rs 13 lakh crore and emphasized the need to make electronics the country's second-largest export category. As of March 2026, electronics production was estimated at around Rs 12 lakh crore, while exports stood at Rs 3.3 lakh crore. He noted that electronics exports, once considered an ambitious goal, have now become a major contributor to India's trade basket. 

The minister said after initially targeting a place among the top 10 export categories, electronics rose to become the third-largest export category in 2025, driven primarily by strong smartphone exports, with iPhone maker Apple accounting for the majority of shipments. 

He further said the coordinated efforts by the Centre, state governments, industry stakeholders, and young talent will be essential to achieve the next milestone. He also stated that two semiconductor plants in the country have already commenced full-scale commercial operations, while a third plant is scheduled for inauguration in July and a fourth is expected to begin commercial manufacturing by December 2026.

The CNX Nifty ended at 24168.00, up by 82.30 points or 0.34% after trading in a range of 24036.95 and 24189.25. There were 33 stocks advancing against 17 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)  

The top gainers on Nifty were Max Healthcare up by 6.27%, Interglobe Aviation up by 2.73%, Trent up by 2.48%, Bharat Electronics up by 2.08% and Adani Enterprises up by 2.08%. On the flip side, Infosys down by 2.61%, Tata Consumer Products down by 1.16%, Maruti Suzuki down by 1.07%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.01% and TCS down by 0.89% were the top losers. (Provisional)

European markets were trading mostly in green; France’s CAC rose 15.61 points or 0.19% to 8,446.40 and Germany’s DAX gained 68.13 points or 0.27% to 25,002.80, while UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 95.07 points or 0.9% to 10,413.54.

Asian markets settled mostly higher on Thursday, with South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed to new record highs, while Brent crude declined below $79 per barrel on signs of easing geopolitical tensions after reports that the US-Iran peace agreement had been finalized and digitally signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. However, a cautious undertone prevailed elsewhere across the region amid Wall Street’s decline overnight and climbing US Treasury yields as the US Federal Reserve hinted a possible interest rate hike this year.

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

4,090.48

-17.60

-0.43

Hang Seng

23,924.81

-387.35

-1.59

Jakarta Composite

6,172.34

-48.40

-0.78

KLSE Composite

1,711.39

1.40

0.08

Nikkei 225

71,053.49

1,151.24

1.65

Straits Times

5,212.84

36.38

0.70

KOSPI Composite

9,063.84

199.60

2.25

Taiwan Weighted

46,465.20

587.81

1.28
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