HOME > MARKETS > MARKET COMMENTARY
  MARKET COMMENTARY
EQUITY
Weak trade persists over Indian markets during early noon deals
May-18-2026

A weak trade persisted over Indian equity markets during early afternoon deals, with both Sensex and Nifty trading below their neutral lines, tracking negative cues from other Asian markets along with selling at PSU, Utilities and Metal counters, as stalled Middle East peace talks ⁠lifted crude ⁠prices and fuelled inflation concerns. Sentiments were also downbeat, amid a private report stating that India's trade deficit is likely to remain under pressure in the coming months as elevated crude prices, supply-side disruptions and a potential global demand slowdown weighed on exports.

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly in red, as China's industrial production and retail sales logged weaker-than-expected growth in April. Industrial production rose 4.1 percent in April from the last year, the National Bureau of Statistics reported. The growth fell short of the expected rise of 6.0 percent and remained below March's increase of 5.7 percent. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 75054.01, down by 183.98 points or 0.24% after trading in a range of 74180.26 and 75066.72. There were 10 stocks advancing against 20 stocks declining on the index.

The only gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were TECK up by 1.61% and IT up by 1.55%, while PSU down by 2.00%, Utilities down by 1.83%, Metal down by 1.73%, Consumer Disc down by 1.69% and Consumer Durables down by 1.68% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Tech Mahindra up by 4.14%, Bharti Airtel up by 2.07%, Infosys up by 1.84%, HCL Tech. up by 1.02% and Sun Pharma up by 0.68%. On the flip side, Power Grid down by 3.99%, Tata Steel down by 3.94%, SBI down by 2.52%, Trent down by 2.25% and Eternal down by 2.10% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, boosting bilateral ties, India and Sweden have agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson. They discussed ways to deepen cooperation in trade & investment, technology and innovation, green transition, space, emerging technologies, defence & security, SMEs, research and people-to-people ties.

Both sides also agreed to identify new opportunities in the spirit of the India-EU Strategic Partnership and recently concluded the India-EU FTA for the benefit of their peoples. Further, the leaders also exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues. They emphasised the urgency to reform the UN and multilateral organisations, and agreed to advance cooperation in multilateral fora. Besides, Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson appreciated the strides being made by India in the field of digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence. 

India is the third largest trading partner for Sweden in Asia. The bilateral trade between two countries has increased from $2.86 billion in 2016 to about $7 billion by 2024-2025. India’s exports include pharmaceuticals, textiles, engineering goods, and chemicals, while Sweden’s exports comprise machinery, vehicles, telecom equipment, and precision instruments.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23553.45, down by 90.05 points or 0.38% after trading in a range of 23317.10 and 23562.75. There were 18 stocks advancing against 32 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Tech Mahindra up by 4.24%, Bharti Airtel up by 2.06%, Infosys up by 1.75%, Wipro up by 1.10% and HCL Tech. up by 1.10%. On the flip side, Tata Steel down by 3.92%, Power Grid down by 3.89%, SBI down by 2.49%, Eternal down by 2.09% and Trent down by 2.00% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in red; Hang Seng declined 324.73 points or 1.25% to 25,638.00, Shanghai Composite weakened 3.86 points or 0.09% to 4,131.53, Taiwan Weighted lost 280.54 points or 0.69% to 40,891.82, Nikkei 225 slipped 464.29 points or 0.76% to 60,945.00, Jakarta Composite plunged 239.12 points or 3.56% to 6,484.20 and Straits Times fell 24.86 points or 0.5% to 4,964.22, while KOSPI increased 22.86 points or 0.3% to 7,516.04.
  RELATED NEWS >>
Most Viewed >>
EXPLORE
© CITRUS INTERACTIVE
Designed & Developed Accord Fintech Pvt. Ltd.