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Markets trade firm amid Trump’s postponement of attacks on Iran
May-19-2026

Indian equity benchmarks made flat-to-positive start on Tuesday and soon extended their gains amid hopes over easing geopolitical concerns after US President Donald Trump postponed a potential military strike on Iran. Sensex and Nifty were trading higher with notable gains of around half a percent each in early deals on account of heathy buying in IT and Teck stocks, led by gains in Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HCL Technologies and TCS. Foreign fund inflows also boost the sentiments in the markets. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) purchased Rs 2,813.69 crore on Monday. This is the third straight session of buying by the foreign investors. On the sectoral front, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) were in focus as Petrol and diesel prices were increased by 90 paise per litre on Tuesday, the second increase in less than a week. 

On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed following reports that US President Donald Trump had postponed a planned military strike on Iran to allow negotiations to continue. There were some encouragements as Japan’s economy grew at an annualized 2.1% in the first quarter of 2026, surpassing street expectations, on the back of improved consumption and strong exports. Meanwhile, traders were keeping close eye on the meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung scheduled for May 19.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 75636.18, up by 321.14 points or 0.43% after trading in a range of 75371.07 and 75741.84. There were 20 stocks advancing against 10 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 3.31%, TECK up by 1.99%, Utilities up by 0.91%, Realty up by 0.84% and Oil & Gas up by 0.68%, while Telecom down by 0.48% and Metal down by 0.23% were the only losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Infosys up by 4.25%, Tech Mahindra up by 3.64%, HCL Technologies up by 3.40%, TCS up by 2.86% and Trent up by 1.08%. On the flip side, Ultratech Cement down by 0.80%, Eternal down by 0.75%, Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 0.55%, ICICI Bank down by 0.48% and Bharti Airtel down by 0.42% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, with an aim of reducing import dependence, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has asked the industry to identify imported goods and explore opportunities to manufacture them domestically. He also emphasised the importance of boosting exports and prioritizing the purchase of goods made in India over imports. He encouraged stakeholders to study import trends using the Commerce Ministry’s trade portal and identify opportunities for domestic manufacturing and import substitution.

He said despite global economic uncertainties, triggered by Russia-Ukraine and West Asia crisis, India's exports rose about 5 per cent to $863.11 billion in 2025-26. He noted that this year's target is $1 trillion. This is a big target, and there is need to work together for this. He also said the industry should focus on quality, improving competitiveness and enhancing scale of operations. In the next five years, the government is looking at increasing the goods and services exports to $2 trillion. He added that the free trade agreements (FTAs) finalised by India will give preferential market access to Indian goods and help boost exports. The FTA with Oman may be operationalised from June 1 this year.

Further, he asked to increase value addition in agri exports as it has crossed Rs 5 lakh crore. He launched a portal on Bhartiya Vyapar Mahotsav, which will be held from August 12 to 15, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam. He asked the traders to showcase made in India goods only. He emphasised the need to promote domestic products and strengthen the spirit of Swadeshi, noting that even small preferences for foreign goods can weaken domestic industry. He said India still depends heavily on foreign countries in sectors such as capital goods and called upon industrial clusters, including Rajkot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Batala, and Pune to increase domestic production instead of relying on imports.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23749.20, up by 99.25 points or 0.42% after trading in a range of 23647.40 and 23768.95. There were 35 stocks advancing against 15 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Infosys up by 4.31%, Tech Mahindra up by 3.55%, HCL Technologies up by 3.51%, TCS up by 3.09% and Adani Enterprises up by 2.59%. On the flip side, Hindalco down by 1.20%, ONGC down by 0.98%, Coal India down by 0.85%, Cipla down by 0.63% and Ultratech Cement down by 0.58% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Taiwan Weighted lost 617.29 points or 1.51% to 40,274.53, Nikkei 225 slipped 392.95 points or 0.65% to 60,423.00, KOSPI dropped 267.93 points or 3.56% to 7,248.11 and Jakarta Composite declined 136.06 points or 2.06% to 6,463.18. On the other hand, Hang Seng rose 96.82 points or 0.38% to 25,772.00, Straits Times gained 34.94 points or 0.7% to 5,031.69 and Shanghai Composite was up by 0.93 points or 0.02% to 4,132.46.
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