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EQUITY
Post Session: Quick Review
May-19-2026

Indian equity benchmarks ended marginally lower on Tuesday amid lingering geopolitical tensions and continued disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz. Markets made a positive start, supported by strong gains in IT stocks and sustained foreign institutional inflows. However, markets witnessed intense selling pressure in the final hours of trade and settled lower after the rupee slipped to a fresh record low against the US dollar.

Some of the important factors in trade:

ICRA revises India’s GDP growth estimate to 6.2% for FY27: Traders were cautious as the rating agency ICRA lowered the India’s GDP growth estimate to 6.2% in FY27, down from the earlier estimate of 6.5% amid elevated crude oil prices triggered by the West Asia crisis.

India’s oil trade deficit likely to widen sharply in FY27: Sentiments remained downbeat as Crisil in its report has said that rising crude prices, weakening petroleum exports and heavy dependence on imported oil are likely to push India’s oil trade deficit higher in FY27, straining external balances

RBI keeping close watch on West Asia conflict-induced energy supply shock, impact on inflation: Traders took a note of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra’s statement that the Reserve Bank is keeping a close watch on whether and when supply shocks get embedded in the general price level, warranting monetary policy action, amid persisting global uncertainties. 

On the global front: European markets were trading higher, after U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a temporary pause in strike against Iran raised hopes of a potential deal between the two warring nations. Asian markets closed mixed, tracking negative cues from Wall Street overnight.

The BSE Sensex ended at 75200.85, down by 114.19 points or 0.15% after trading in a range of 75115.99 and 75746.27. There were 11 stocks advancing against 18 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 3.22%, TECK up by 1.76%, Realty up by 1.35%, Utilities up by 0.67%, and Consumer Discretionary up by 0.60% while, Metal down by 0.26%, Bankex down by 0.21%, Telecom down by 0.21%, Capital Goods down by 0.13%, and Consumer Durables down by 0.12% were the top losing indices on BSE. (Provisional)

The top gainers on the Sensex were Infosys up by 4.52%, HCL Technologies up by 2.73%, Tech Mahindra up by 2.42%, TCS up by 2.06% and Eternal up by 2.03%. On the flip side, Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 2.31%, Titan Company down by 1.88%, Ultratech Cement down by 1.69%, Bharti Airtel down by 1.40% and Sun Pharma down by 1.24% were the top losers. (Provisional)

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 ended at 23618.00, down by 31.95 points or 0.14% after trading in a range of 23587.20 and 23782.30. There were 24 stocks advancing against 26 stocks declining on the index. (Provisional)

The top gainers on Nifty were Infosys up by 4.76%, HCL Technologies up by 2.86%, Tech Mahindra up by 2.59%, Eternal up by 2.41% and Tata Motors Passenger up by 2.28%. On the flip side, Kotak Mahindra Bank down by 2.51%, Ultratech Cement down by 1.67%, Tata Consumer Products down by 1.63%, Titan Company down by 1.62% and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone down by 1.39% were the top losers. (Provisional)

European markets were trading higher; France’s CAC rose 73.91 points or 0.93% to 8,061.40, Germany’s DAX gained 254.28 points or 1.05% to 24,562.20 and UK’s FTSE 100 increased 71.51 points or 0.69% to 10,395.26.

Asian markets closed mixed on Tuesday as technology heavyweights tracked overnight declines in their US peers amid concerns over spiking US Treasury yields. Besides, Japanese shares declined despite faster-than-expected Q1 economic growth. Japan's gross domestic product expanded a seasonally adjusted 0.5% on quarter in the first quarter of 2026. That beat expectations for a gain of 0.4% and was up from the downwardly revised 0.2% increase in the three months prior (originally 0.3%). However, Chinese and Hong Kong market rose as global crude oil prices fell on prospects of a potential US-Iran peace deal that could soothe concerns over supply disruptions in the Middle East. Tehran reportedly sent a new peace proposal via Pakistan and US President Donald Trump said he has postponed a planned attack on Iran at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Trump noted that serious negotiations are underway to end the war.

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

4,169.54

38.01

0.92

Hang Seng

25,797.85

122.67

0.48

Jakarta Composite

6,370.68

-228.56

-3.59

KLSE Composite

1,727.27

-0.44

-0.03

Nikkei 225

60,550.59

-265.36

-0.44

Straits Times

5,072.34

75.59

1.51

KOSPI Composite

7,271.66

-244.38

-3.25

Taiwan Weighted

40,175.56

-716.26

-1.75
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