HOME > MARKETS > MARKET COMMENTARY
  MARKET COMMENTARY
EQUITY
Sensex, Nifty remain higher during early noon deals
Sep-16-2026

Indian equity benchmarks remained higher during early afternoon deals, tracking positive cues from other Asian markets. Both indices, Sensex and Nifty gained over half percent, amid buying momentum across various sectors, recovering from the sharp sell-off seen in the previous session. Traders overlooked Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) preliminary data showing that India's current account deficit widened to $7 billion in July 2026 from $3.2 billion in the year-ago month, primarily driven by higher merchandise trade deficit, which rose to $31.7 billion in July 2026 from $28.2 billion in the same month last year.

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly in green, even after Japan posted a merchandise trade deficit of 1.105 trillion yen in August. That missed forecasts for a deficit of 1.052 trillion yen following the 634.5 billion yen shortfall in July. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 74398.90, up by 395.08 points or 0.53% after trading in a range of 73981.33 and 74505.86. There were 22 stocks advancing against 8 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were FMCG up by 1.52%, Metal up by 1.09%, Realty up by 1.07%, Energy up by 0.89% and PSU up by 0.75%, while Telecom down by 0.81%, IT down by 0.78%, TECK down by 0.52%, Healthcare down by 0.33% and Industrials down by 0.19% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were ITC up by 2.07%, Axis Bank up by 2.04%, Bharat Electronics up by 1.99%, Hindustan Unilever up by 1.80% and Trent up by 1.79%. On the flip side, TCS down by 1.49%, Interglobe Aviation down by 0.82%, Larsen & Toubro down by 0.71%, Infosys down by 0.65% and Tech Mahindra down by 0.63% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data showed that the overall unemployment rate (UR) among persons aged 15 years and above dropped slightly to 5% in August from 5.1% in July, while it was 5.1% in August 2025. During August 2026, the rural unemployment rate has declined from 4.5% in July to 4.1%, while urban UR inched up to 6.8% from 6.7% in July. The August UR in rural areas was the lowest since January 2026. 

The overall UR among males aged 15 years and above declined for the third consecutive month, reaching 4.9% in August from 5.4% in May 2026. During the month, rural male UR declined from 4.6% in July to 4.3%, while urban male UR rose slightly to 6.1% from 5.9% in July. Besides, the UR among females aged 15 years and above declined for two consecutive months to 5.1% in August 2026 from 5.9Â % in June 2026. Rural female UR decreased from 4.3% in July to 3.9% in August, while urban female UR remained broadly stable compared to the previous month.

During the August, the overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above increased to 55.6% in August from 55.4% in July. A similar trend has also been observed in rural areas, where the LFPR for persons aged 15 years and above increased to 58.2% in August, from 58.0% in July. LFPR remained steady in urban areas at 50.4% in August, compared to the previous month.  The female LFPR increased for the second consecutive month, reaching 34.8% in August 2026.

The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) increased in the month of August to 52.8% from 52.5% in July, driven by increased workforce participation in rural areas. WPR in rural areas recorded an increase to 55.8% in August from 55.4% in the previous month, while urban WPR maintained the same level of 47% in August as observed in July. The overall WPR showed an increase of 0.6 percentage points over the corresponding month of the previous year, from 52.2% in August 2025 to 52.8% in August 2026. Further, a year-on-year comparison indicates an increase in the overall female WPR, with a 33% rise in August from 32% in August 2025.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23253.75, up by 135.15 points or 0.58% after trading in a range of 23116.10 and 23281.15. There were 37 stocks advancing against 12 stocks declining, while 1 stock remained unchanged on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Nestle India up by 2.23%, HDFC Life Insurance up by 2.20%, Tata Consumer Products up by 2.07%, ITC up by 2.03% and State Bank Of India up by 1.91%. On the flip side, TCS down by 1.67%, Wipro down by 1.55%, Infosys down by 0.96%, Interglobe Aviation down by 0.76% and Tech Mahindra down by 0.76% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; KOSPI increased 90.71 points or 1.35% to 6,717.97, Taiwan Weighted added 337.41 points or 0.74% to 45,848.90, Shanghai Composite strengthened 27.32 points or 0.7% to 3,891.60, Nikkei 225 surged 249.9 points or 0.39% to 63,734.00, Jakarta Composite gained 23.9 points or 0.37% to 6,485.05 and Hang Seng advanced 31.76 points or 0.13% to 24,699.00, while Straits Times fell 3.03 points or 0.05% to 5,635.61.
  RELATED NEWS >>
Most Viewed >>
EXPLORE
© CITRUS INTERACTIVE
Designed & Developed Accord Fintech Pvt. Ltd.