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Markets trade higher in early deals amid easing crude oil prices
Sep-21-2026

Indian equity benchmarks made a positive start on Monday recovering from their recent losses. Sentiments got some support amid easing crude oil prices and signs of possible diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran. Traders took encouragement from Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), who turned net buyers on September 18, 2026, purchasing equities worth Rs 599.54 crore. However, upside remained capped as heightened activity in primary markets sucked out liquidity from stocks.

Both the indices were trading higher in early deals but with divergence in performance as Sensex was outperforming Nifty garnering over 0.60% on account of bargain buying in select large-cap stocks following recent sell-off. Besides, Nifty was trading with gains of around 0.25% as selling pressure in IT stocks limit the gains. Market participants also remained on sidelines ahead of Nifty weekly F&O expiry on September 22.  

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly higher led by technology and semiconductor stocks as strong demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure supported chipmakers. However, the ongoing Houthi attacks and disruption to regional shipping routes remain a risk to global oil supplies. Meanwhile, Japanese market is closed for a holiday.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 74755.84, up by 460.88 points or 0.62% after trading in a range of 74454.18 and 74787.26. There were 26 stocks advancing against 4 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Consumer Durables up by 1.30%, Healthcare up by 1.21%, Realty up by 1.13%, FMCG up by 0.80% and Basic Materials up by 0.69%, while Telecom down by 0.74%, TECK down by 0.45%, IT down by 0.24% and Power down by 0.00% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Ultratech Cement up by 3.57%, Sun Pharma up by 2.42%, Asian Paints up by 2.19%, HCL Technologies up by 1.78% and Interglobe Aviation up by 1.75%. On the flip side, Infosys down by 1.61%, Adani Ports & SEZ down by 1.50%, Bharti Airtel down by 1.02% and Power Grid down by 0.83% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, with an aim to fast track the process of trade deal, trade ministers of India and Canada have discussed the progress of ongoing negotiations for the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The meeting was held between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Canada's International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu in Mumbai. The deliberations are important as both countries are aiming to conclude the negotiations by the end of this year. The early conclusion of the pact will help significantly increase bilateral trade.

The chief negotiators of the two countries held the fourth round of talks. Two-way trade reached $30.4 billion in 2025. Canada's International Trade Minister said “Our goal is clear: more than double that to $70 billion by 2030, opening new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses”. He added from aerospace and artificial intelligence to clean energy and critical minerals, there is enormous potential. He further said “I'll also meet with Indian business leaders and investors to make the case for investing and growing in Canada”.

India's major exports to Canada include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronic goods and chemicals. Key imports from Canada include pulses, pearls and semi-precious stones, coal, fertilisers, paper and crude petroleum. India's services exports to Canada are led by telecommunications, computer and information services, and other business services.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23401.50, up by 55.10 points or 0.24% after trading in a range of 23314.80 and 23410.75. There were 36 stocks advancing against 13 stocks declining, while 1 stock remain unchanged on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Sun Pharma up by 2.43%, HDFC Life Insurance up by 1.86%, Interglobe Aviation up by 1.51%, SBI Life Insurance up by 1.39% and NTPC up by 1.28%. On the flip side, Adani Ports & SEZ down by 2.71%, Bharti Airtel down by 2.40%, Infosys down by 1.72%, Wipro down by 1.65% and Power Grid down by 0.96% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Taiwan Weighted jumped 495.11 points or 1.05% to 47,675.86, Hang Seng surged 123.22 points or 0.50% to 24,874.00, KOSPI strengthened 120.07 points or 1.74% to 7,014.30, Shanghai Composite increased 21.5 points or 0.55% to 3,933.37 and Straits Times was up by 10.5 points or 0.19% to 5,666.61, while Jakarta Composite was down by 22.88 points or 0.36% to 6,418.28.
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