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Markets make recovery to trade near neutral lines in late afternoon deals
May-18-2026

Indian equity markets slashed most of their losses to trade near the neutral lines in late afternoon session supported by valuing buying at lower levels. Meanwhile, a private report suggested that Pakistan shared revised Iranian proposal to end the conflict with US. However, markets continued to trade under pressure as weakness in the Indian rupee, kept investors on edge. The rupee weakened by 46 paise against the US dollar to trade at 96.27. Besides, higher global energy prices have weighed on risk sentiment of market participants. The Brent crude oil prices have surged to trade above $110 a barrel.

On the global front, Asian equity markets were trading mostly in red amid rise in oil prices and global bond yields. European equity markets were trading mostly in red ahead of gathering G7 finance minister to discuss global economic imbalances as geopolitical differences threaten to test the group's cohesion. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 75124.81, down by 113.18 points or 0.15% after trading in a range of 74180.26 and 75347.19. There were 15 stocks advancing against 15 stocks declining on the index.

The only gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 1.60%, TECK up by 1.53% and Healthcare up by 0.05%, while Auto down by 2.04%, PSU down by 1.87%, Consumer Discretionary down by 1.57%, Utilities down by 1.51% and Power down by 1.49% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Tech Mahindra up by 4.02%, Infosys up by 2.00%, Bharti Airtel up by 1.71%, Bajaj Finserv up by 1.44% and HCL Technologies up by 1.17%. On the flip side, Power Grid Corporation down by 3.53%, Tata Steel down by 3.21%, SBI down by 2.34%, Trent down by 2.11% and Maruti Suzuki down by 2.06% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has showed that India's unemployment rate (UR) among persons of age 15 years and above inched higher to 5.2% in April 2026 from 5.1% in the previous month, reflecting the highest ratio since October of the previous year. Urban UR eased marginally to 6.6% in April, 2026 from 6.8% in March, 2026, while the rural UR increased slightly to 4.6% from 4.3% during the same period. UR in both rural and urban areas maintained broadly the same level on year-on-year comparison. 

The UR among male aged 15 years and above stood at 5.1% in April, 2026, compared to 5.0% in March, 2026 and 5.2% in April, 2025. Rural male UR estimated at 4.4% in March, 2026 against 4.7% in April, 2026. The urban male UR declined from 6.1% to 5.9% during the same period. On a year-on-year basis, overall male UR was lower by 0.1 percentage point. The UR among female aged 15 years and above was recorded at 5.4% in April, 2026, compared to 5.3% in March, 2026 and 5.0% in April, 2025. Rural female UR stood at 4.1% compared to 4.4% over the month. The urban female UR declined from 9.0% to 8.5%. Compared to April, 2025, overall female UR was higher by 0.4 percentage points. Urban female UR recorded its lowest level since April, 2025.

The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for persons aged 15 years and above in urban areas remained unchanged at 46.8% in April 2026, the same level as recorded in March 2026. The overall WPR was estimated at 52.2% in April 2026, compared to 52.6% in March 2026 and 52.8% in April 2025. In rural areas, the WPR stood at 54.9% in April 2026, compared to 55.5% in March 2026 and 55.4% in April 2025. Urban WPR continued to exhibit stability in April 2026.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23587.10, down by 56.40 points or 0.24% after trading in a range of 23317.10 and 23661.65. There were 19 stocks advancing against 31 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Tech Mahindra up by 4.09%, Infosys up by 2.01%, Bharti Airtel up by 1.67%, JSW Steel up by 1.49% and Bajaj Finserv up by 1.46%. On the flip side, Power Grid Corporation down by 3.58%, Tata Steel down by 3.03%, SBI down by 2.47%, Maruti Suzuki down by 2.10% and Trent down by 2.06% were the top losers.

Asian equity markets were trading mostly in red; Nikkei 225 slipped 464.29 points or 0.76% to 60,945.00, Taiwan Weighted lost 280.54 points or 0.69% to 40,891.82, Hang Seng declined 332.73 points or 1.3% to 25,630.00, Shanghai Composite weakened 3.86 points or 0.09% to 4,131.53 and Jakarta Composite plunged 184.16 points or 2.82% to 6,539.16, while KOSPI increased 22.86 points or 0.3% to 7,516.04 and Straits Times rose 7.33 points or 0.15% to 4,996.41.

European equity markets were trading mostly in red; Germany’s DAX lost 49.47 points or 0.21% to 23,901.10 and France’s CAC fell 61.35 points or 0.77% to 7,891.20, while UK’s FTSE 100 increased 4.17 points or 0.04% to 10,199.54.
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