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EQUITY
Post Session: Quick Review
May-15-2026

Indian equity benchmarks erased intra-day gains and settled lower on Friday, amid escalating geopolitical tensions surrounding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. Markets made a positive start, supported by strong buying interest in IT stocks following improved global technology sentiment. However, in the final hour of trade, indices gave up all gains and closed marginally lower as the rupee weakened to a record low level and rising crude oil prices.

Some of the important factors in trade:

OMCs hike petrol, diesel prices by Rs 3 per litre each on May 15: Traders were cautious as oil-marketing companies (OMCs) hiked petrol and diesel prices by Rs 3 per litre each on May 15, 2026, for the first time in over four years amid mounting losses of fuel retailers due to elevated global crude prices.

Goyal calls for aligning standards, customs procedures between India-Africa to boost bilateral trade: Traders took note of report that Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has pitched for aligning standards and customs procedures between India and Africa to boost bilateral trade. 

Gold and jewellery stocks in focus: The government imposed a limit of 100 kg on gold imports under the Advance Authorisation scheme, which allows jewellery exporters to import raw or input materials at zero duty.

On the global front: European markets were trading in red, while Asian markets closed lower as investors were tracking the second day of high-stakes talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, Xi warned Trump that Washington and Beijing could face clashes and even conflicts if the sensitive issue of Taiwan independence is mishandled.

The BSE Sensex ended at 75237.99, down by 160.73 points or 0.21% after trading in a range of 75139.41 and 75870.36. There were 14 stocks advancing against 16 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were TECK up by 1.18%, IT up by 1.06%, Telecom up by 0.44%, FMCG up by 0.38% and Healthcare up by 0.18%, while Metal down by 1.98%, Realty down by 1.82%, Oil & Gas down by 1.79%, PSU down by 1.42% and Basic Materials down by 1.31% were the top losing indices on BSE. (Provisional)

The top gainers on the Sensex were Infosys up by 2.08%, Tech Mahindra up by 2.04%, Power Grid Corp up by 1.34%, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone up by 1.27% and Maruti Suzuki up by 1.13%. On the flip side, Tata Steel down by 1.92%, Reliance Industries down by 1.87%, Eternal down by 1.79%, SBI down by 1.69% and Ultratech Cement down by 1.63% were the top losers. (Provisional)

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its latest data has showed that External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) filings by Indian companies, including non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), dropped 51% to $5.43 billion in March 2026 as compared to $11.04 billion in the same month of the previous year, owing to financial market volatility triggered by geopolitical tension in West Asia. However, the March 2026 fillings were higher than $4.59 billion recorded in February 2026. 

According to data, out of the total, general permission accounted for $5.22 billion, while special permission filings stood at $212 million. It suggested that despite sluggish capital expenditure growth, there were 19 filings for new projects totalling a borrowing of $1.14 billion and $1.22 billion were intended to refinance either existing ECB or rupee loans. Among the prominent firms filling an intent in March 2026 with the RBI was Rajasthan Part I Transmission, which plans to raise for $750 million for a new project.  

Earlier this year, the RBI issued liberalised ECB guidelines, whereby Indian companies can benefit from a higher borrowing limit at prevailing market-related conditions, change the currency of an ECB and convert the ECB into a non-debt instrument, among others. Further, a borrower under a restructuring scheme or corporate insolvency resolution process can tap this route to raise funds.

The CNX Nifty ended at 23643.50, down by 46.10 points or 0.19% after trading in a range of 23610.30 and 23839.30. There were 22 stocks advancing against 28 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gainers on Nifty were Tata Motors Passenger up by 5.25%, Dr. Reddy's Lab up by 2.54%, Infosys up by 2.19%, Tech Mahindra up by 2.02% and Coal India up by 1.79%. On the flip side, Hindalco down by 3.24%, Nestle down by 1.99%, Tata Steel down by 1.94%, Eternal down by 1.89% and Reliance Industries down by 1.87% were the top losers. (Provisional)

European markets were trading lower; Germany’s DAX lost 452.96 points or 1.85% to 24,003.30, UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 142.68 points or 1.38% to 10,230.25 and France’s CAC fell 106.07 points or 1.31% to 7,976.20.

Asian markets settled lower on Friday driven by rising US Treasury yields, while resilient US macroeconomic data and persistent inflationary pressures prompted traders to bet that the Federal Reserve will keep rates higher for longer and may even hike again. Additionally, rising crude oil prices dented market sentiment with escalating tensions near the Strait of Hormuz, where one ship was attacked and another seized, stoked concerns about global energy supplies. South Korea’s KOSPI marked a massive reversal, after briefly surging past the historic 8,000-point milestone for the first time, amid rising expectation that Bank of Korea may hike interest rates at its next meeting scheduled for May 28, 2026. Chinese and Hong Kong shares tumbled after a closely watched summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended without major economic breakthroughs. Meanwhile, Indonesian markets were closed for Ascension Day.

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

4,135.39

-42.53

-1.02

Hang Seng

25,962.73

-426.31

-1.62

Jakarta Composite

--

--

--

KLSE Composite

1,740.22

-5.36

-0.31

Nikkei 225

61,409.29

-1,244.76

-1.99

Straits Times

4,989.08

-6.86

-0.14

KOSPI Composite

7,493.18

-488.23

-6.12

Taiwan Weighted

41,172.36

-579.39

-1.39
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