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Indices remain above neutral lines in afternoon deals
Sep-18-2026

Domestic equity Indices remained in the green in afternoon deals, supported by positive global cues and declining crude prices. Sentiments were further supported by Indian rupee appreciating 11 paise to 95.78 against the dollar. Traders took a note of report that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked banks providing loans under the PM MUDRA Yojana to step up financial literacy efforts across states to help small entrepreneurs expand their businesses and bring more people under the scheme.

Both Sensex and Nifty traded marginally higher amid buying in HDFC Bank, Larsen and Toubro, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel, and Reliance Industries. On the BSE sectoral front, traders were seen piling up positions in Realty, Capital Goods, Industrials, Oil & Gas and Basic Materials, while selling was witnessed in IT, TECK, Consumer Durables and Telecom.  

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly in green following positive cues from the US markets. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan lifted its benchmark rate by a quarter point to a 31-year high, as widely expected. The policy board, governed by Ueda Kazu, decided by a 7-2 majority vote to raise the interest rate to 1.25 percent from 1.00 percent. The current rate is the highest since 1995.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 74458.98, up by 144.39 points or 0.19% after trading in a range of 74375.07 and 74593.82. There were 14 stocks advancing against 16 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Realty up by 1.36%, Capital Goods up by 1.34%, Industrials up by 1.30%, Oil & Gas up by 0.93% and Basic Materials up by 0.82%, while IT down by 1.33%, TECK down by 0.75%, Consumer Durables down by 0.57% and Telecom down by 0.07% were the few losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Interglobe Aviation up by 1.56%, Ultratech Cement up by 1.52%, HDFC Bank up by 1.29%, Adani Ports up by 1.15% and Eternal up by 1.13%. On the flip side, TCS down by 3.01%, Titan Company down by 1.58%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.54%, HCL Technologies down by 1.25% and Maruti Suzuki India down by 1.24% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the FICCI-KPMG report has highlighted the importance of strong mineral supply chains, and said that the future of India's mining and metals industry depends on how efficiently the sector can build resilient mineral supply chains and unlock higher value from existing operations. The report noted that the country’s mining and metals sector is entering a defining phase of growth and transformation. It added that the sector has a unique opportunity to enhance global positioning supported by strong domestic demand, infrastructure expansion, and the ambitions of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047. 

However, it flagged that rising cost pressures, declining ore grades, geopolitical uncertainties, decarbonisation requirements, and the race for critical minerals are fundamentally changing how competitiveness is defined. The report suggested that the industry harness low-grade ores, slimes, tailings, scrap, and other underutilised materials as productive feedstock to strengthen resource efficiency and circularity. 

Besides, Ranjan Dhar, Co-Chair, FICCI Steel Committee and Director & Vice President - Sales & Marketing, AMNS India, has stressed the need for sustained effort and greater technology adoption as India pursues its long-term development ambitions. He suggested the use of data available across the industry to help the sector to move towards efficiencies that can take the industry to the best global standards.

Moreover, FICCI said that with steel capacity envisaged to reach 500 million tonnes, aluminium production set to grow nearly seven-fold, and copper demand projected to more than double by FY2047, the sector's ability to compete globally will depend on far more than the volume of resources it extracts and metals it produces. It added that the global competitiveness will depend on how efficiently India converts its geological endowment into high-value, resilient, and increasingly circular material supply chains.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23310.60, up by 40.00 points or 0.17% after trading in a range of 23286.60 and 23360.55. There were 27 stocks advancing against 23 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Ultratech Cement up by 2.29%, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories up by 1.97%, Shriram Finance up by 1.94%, Interglobe Aviation up by 1.74% and Eternal up by 1.63%. On the flip side, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles down by 2.91%, TCS down by 2.76%, Coal India down by 1.71%, HCL Technologies down by 1.59% and Tech Mahindra down by 1.58% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Nikkei 225 surged 913.75 points or 1.42% to 65,050.00, Taiwan Weighted added 892.75 points or 1.89% to 47,180.75, Shanghai Composite strengthened 32.74 points or 0.84% to 3,908.34, KOSPI increased 158.34 points or 2.36% to 6,873.75, Hang Seng advanced 235.71 points or 0.96% to 24,840.00. However, Straits Times fell 1.1 points or 0.02% to 5,659.42 and Jakarta Composite plunged 22.68 points or 0.35% to 6,439.75.
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