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Benchmarks continue weak trade in morning session
Mar-19-2026

Indian equity benchmarks continued their weak trade in morning session following a sharp jump in crude oil prices and weak global trends. Moreover, unabated foreign fund outflows dented market sentiments. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 2,714.35 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data. Traders remained cautious as data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed India’s outward foreign direct investment (FDI) declined to $2.76 billion in February 2026 from $4.30 billion in the same month last year. Traders overlooked data released by the Income Tax Department showed the net direct tax collection grew 7.1 per cent to about Rs 22.8 lakh crore till March 17 this fiscal due to slower refunds and higher corporate tax mop-up. On the global front, Asian markets are trading lower as investors reacted to hawkish policy signals from the U.S. Federal Reserve and escalating geopolitical tensions.  

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 74929.61, down by 1774.52 points or 2.31% after trading in a range of 74685.52 and 75354.18. There were 2 stocks advancing against 28 stocks declining on the index.

The top losing sectoral indices on the BSE were Realty down by 3.26%, Bankex down by 2.98%, Auto down by 2.58%, Consumer Durables down by 2.52% and Consumer Discretionary down by 2.45%, while there was no gaining sectoral index on the BSE. 

The few gainers on the Sensex were Power Grid Corporation up by 0.08% and Reliance Industries up by 0.03%. On the flip side, HDFC Bank down by 4.93%, Eternal down by 4.41%, Bajaj Finance down by 3.80%, Larsen & Toubro down by 3.35% and Axis Bank down by 3.33% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, a report by ICRA and ASSOCHAM has said that fresh slippages in the banking sector are likely to increase in the near future owing to emerging stress in the retail and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) segments, even as overall asset quality remains strong. Despite this, the report stated the impact on overall asset quality to remain limited with gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) and net NPAs (NNPAs) projected to stay at benign levels. 

As per report, the sector's headline asset quality metrics continue to improve, with GNPAs at a decadal low, supported by contained slippages and steady recoveries bringing down bad loans. Further, on the credit growth front, ICRA projects a marginally higher increase of Rs 25–26 lakh crore, or 13.7-14.3 per cent year-on-year growth for FY26. credit expansion is expected to be Rs 23.50-25 lakh crore For FY27. 

Credit demand is likely to remain buoyant, with retail and MSME segments continuing to be the key growth drivers. The start of FY26 saw a slow credit offtake as banks remained cautious towards the retail segment and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), while corporates turned to bond markets due to lower yields. However, Credit growth accelerated by the end of the first half of FY26 and the momentum continued into the Q3FY26, supported by sustained economic activity and demand for channel financing and retail loans following the goods and services tax (GST) cut on September 22, 2025.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23217.00, down by 560.80 points or 2.36% after trading in a range of 23180.95 and 23378.70. There were 3 stocks advancing against 47 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were ONGC up by 1.17%, Reliance Industries up by 0.16% and Coal India up by 0.11%. On the flip side, HDFC Bank down by 4.75%, Shriram Finance down by 4.38%, Eternal down by 4.35%, Bajaj Finance down by 3.68% and Larsen & Toubro down by 3.41% were the top losers.

Asian markets are trading lower; Nikkei 225 slipped 1804.4 points or 3.27% to 53,435.00, Taiwan Weighted lost 644.02 points or 1.87% to 33,704.56, Shanghai Composite weakened 42.99 points or 1.06% to 4,019.99, KOSPI dropped 150.90 points or 2.55% to 5,774.13, Hang Seng declined 500.42 points or 1.92% to 25,525.00 and Straits Times fell 22.03 points or 0.44% to 4,980.14.  
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