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Markets likely to make negative start amid mixed global cues
Sep-17-2026

Indian equity markets are likely to make a negative start on Thursday, amid mixed global cues after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered its first interest-rate hike in three years. Sentiments may remain downbeat as foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued their selling spree, offloading equities worth Rs 2,032.61 crore on Wednesday.

Some of the key factors to be watched:

India drives global growth: International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke has said India remains a key driver of global growth as the world's fastest-growing major economy, supported by strong fundamentals and sound policy frameworks.

EAM Jaishankar discusses development partnership with Bhutanese counterpart: India and Bhutan have discussed development partnership, energy, trade and connectivity as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Bhutanese counterpart D N Dhungyel in Bumthang.

Govt cuts windfall tax on petrol, diesel, ATF exports: The government has cut windfall gains tax on export of petrol, diesel and ATF for the fortnight beginning September 16. The rate of special additional excise duty (SAED) along with road and infrastructure cess on export of diesel is now Rs 20 per litre, down from Rs 25 a litre.

India's power minister meets US energy secretary, discusses nuclear power: Power Minister Manohar Lal has met US Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Houston and discussed India's nuclear energy expansion roadmap and other issues.

MDR may push small merchants, price-sensitive consumers towards cash: Economic think tank GTRI said the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 could push small merchants and price-sensitive consumers back towards cash.

Global front: The US markets ended lower on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve delivered its first interest-rate hike in three years. Asian markets are trading mostly in green on Thursday, ahead of high-level US-China talks this weekend.

Back home, Indian equity benchmarks rebounded after falling sharply in the previous session and ended with gains of around half percent each, supported by value buying in FMCG, Realty and Banking stocks amid gains across regional markets. However, elevated oil prices, caution ahead of the US Federal Reserve's policy decision and foreign fund outflows capped the rally in the markets. Finally, the BSE Sensex rose 332.63 points or 0.45% to 74,336.45 and the CNX Nifty was up by 99.00 points or 0.43% to 23,217.60.  

Some of the important factors in trade:

Indian economy more likely to remain resilient amid geopolitical tensions: Amid renewed geopolitical tensions, elevated crude oil prices and hardening global bond yields, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) V  Anantha Nageswaran has said that the Indian economy is more likely to remain resilient than become vulnerable.

Unemployment rate in India declines to 5% in August: 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. 

India's merchandise exports jump 26.10% in August driven by petroleum products: The commerce ministry in its latest data has showed that India’s merchandise exports rose by 26.10 per cent to $43.81 billion in August 2026 as compared to $34.74 billion in August 2025, driven by a jump in petroleum product shipments.

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