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Sensex, Nifty trade higher in early deals; IT stocks lead
Aug-24-2026

Indian equity benchmarks made a positive start on Monday as crude oil prices slipped more than $1 a barrel in early deals from Friday’s closing. Crude oil prices fell as investors took profits ahead of ‌an expected announcement from Washington about imposing more sanctions on Iran that may further disrupt supplies from the Middle East. Besides, the prospect of an imminent India-US trade deal supported sentiment after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said the deal is “almost” finalised in principle, with only legal and technical details left to be resolved.

Both Sensex and Nifty were trading marginally higher in early deals, supported by gains in index heavyweights. Besides, stocks from the IT and tech counters were leading the gainers, with Infosys garnering gains of over one and a half percent. However, the upside remained capped amid foreign fund outflows. Provisional data showed that foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 542.71 crore on August 21.

Also, there was weakness in Asian counterparts, with all the indices trading in the red as rising government bond yields around the world continued to weigh on risk appetite. Bond yields in Japan, France and Germany have climbed to multi-year highs, while US long-term yields have also remained elevated.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 77676.77, up by 135.94 points or 0.18% after trading in a range of 77619.83 and 77789.40. There were 15 stocks advancing against 15 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 1.15%, Telecom up by 0.77%, TECK up by 0.74%, Metal up by 0.74% and Realty up by 0.72%, while Consumer Durables down by 0.51%, Auto down by 0.18%, Healthcare down by 0.04% were the few losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Infosys up by 1.67%, HCL Technologies up by 1.17%, TCS up by 0.78%, Tata Steel up by 0.71% and HDFC Bank up by 0.60%. On the flip side, Asian Paints down by 0.59%, Titan Company down by 0.50%, Power Grid down by 0.42%, Bharat Electronics down by 0.39% and Adani Ports & SEZ down by 0.31% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, with an aim of strengthening bilateral trade, India and Finland are eyeing to deepen business and technology partnerships in the circular economy, as companies from both countries explored opportunities for resource-efficient and sustainable growth at the India Circular Economy Forum (ICEF) 2026. The concluding day of the two-day (from August 20 to 21) ICEF 2026, which focused on Finland, brought together policymakers, businesses and circular economy experts to discuss opportunities arising from the evolving India-EU economic relationship. ICEF 2026 was a precursor to the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2026, which will be held for the first time in South Asia, in Gandhinagar, from September 15 to 18.

Antti Herlevi, Counsellor for Trade and Investments at the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi, said “Circular economy is not just an environmental agenda; it is an economic and industrial one.” He said more than 100 Finnish companies were already active in India across sectors such as clean energy, waste management, recycling, digital solutions and sustainable design, and that there was scope for greater cooperation with Indian partners. He also said, “As the Indian market continues to grow rapidly, there is a significant opportunity for Finnish businesses to work alongside local partners in India across a range of fields, combining expertise and innovation to support resource-efficient and sustainable growth.” Finnish companies, including Peikko, Nokia, Normet, Mirasys and Lamor, and Indian firms such as Orbigreen Techsource, LoopM Alternatives, Re:Gen Collective and Syaahi Uniforms, took part in the discussions.

The 10th edition of the WCEF in Gandhinagar will be jointly organised in September by Finnish innovation fund Sitra and the Central Pollution Control Board, with support from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Gujarat government, and other global and Indian partners. The forum aims to identify practical strategies to help businesses improve resource efficiency, strengthen environmental and ESG performance, and develop new growth opportunities as India expands its role in global value chains. According to Indian government data, India’s bilateral trade with Finland rose by about 25 per cent year-on-year to $3.70 billion in 2025-26. Overall trade grew by around 38.5 per cent over five years, from $2.64 billion in 2021-22 to $3.65 billion in 2025-26.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24281.65, up by 29.65 points or 0.12% after trading in a range of 24271.10 and 24313.00. There were 27 stocks advancing against 23 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Infosys up by 1.53%, HCL Technologies up by 1.33%, Hindalco Industries up by 1.05%, Wipro up by 0.97% and HDFC Bank up by 0.69%. On the flip side, Cipla down by 0.87%, Grasim Industries down by 0.85%, Titan Company down by 0.64%, Power Grid down by 0.57% and Bharat Electronics down by 0.50% were the top losers.

All Asian markets were trading lower; Hang Seng declined 542.46 points or 2.13% to 25,467.00, Nikkei 225 slipped 288.36 points or 0.44% to 65,728.00, Taiwan Weighted lost 215.73 points or 0.48% to 45,008.56, KOSPI dropped 212.50 points or 3.07% to 6,700.45, Jakarta Composite fell 45.49 points or 0.7% to 6,480.20, Shanghai Composite weakened 27.9 points or 0.71% to 3,877.30 and Straits Times was down by 10.55 points or 0.19% to 5,678.41.
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