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EQUITY
Key gauges end higher amid positive global cues
May-22-2026

Indian equity benchmarks erased some of their initial gains but managed to end higher on Friday, helped by buying in blue-chip bank shares and a rally in global peers. Hopes of progress in the US-Iran peace negotiations also added to markets' optimism. However, gains remained capped as exchange data showed Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) emerged as net sellers for the third straight trading day and offloaded their stake worth Rs. 1,891.21 crore on Thursday. 

Some of the important factors in trade:

India-US trade deal likely be finalised in coming weeks, months: Expressing confidence over India-US trade deal, which is likely to be finalised in coming weeks or months, US Ambassador Sergio Gor has said that the US is looking forward to sealing the proposed bilateral trade agreement with India.

Investment commitments from US estimated to be upwards of $60 billion in last six months: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that India and the US are working as natural partners and complement each other across sectors including technology innovation, high precision defence, digital data centres, quantum computing and medical devices. 

Overseas investments by Indian firms dip 10.81% in April 2026: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) report has showed that India's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) commitments declined by 10.81% to $5644.38 million in April 2026 as against $6,328.51 million in April 2025, as lower loan and guarantee commitments outweighed a sharp rise in outbound equity investments by Indian companies.  

India flags UK steel measures at WTO meeting: India has flagged concerns in a key meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Geneva over the UK's recent steel safeguard measures. From July 1, 2026, the UK will limit tariff-free steel imports, reducing the overall quota available under the existing safeguard measures by 60 per cent. Any imports above these levels will then face a 50 per cent tariff. 

Global front: European markets were trading in green, while Asian markets settled higher on rising hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the Middle East conflict. With Iran reviewing the latest proposal from the U.S. and Pakistan acting as the mediator, investors were pinning hopes that the three-month war may end soon with a peace deal. 

Finally, the BSE Sensex rose 231.99 points or 0.31% to 75,415.35 and the CNX Nifty was up by 64.60 points or 0.27% to 23,719.30. 

The BSE Sensex touched high and low of 75,810.97 and 75,230.75, respectively. There were 15 stocks advancing against 15 stocks declining on the index. 

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Bankex up by 1.18%, Telecom up by 0.93%, Metal up by 0.66%, Consumer Durables up by 0.63% and Basic Materials up by 0.37%, while Healthcare down by 1.23%, TECK down by 0.39%, IT down by 0.32%, Utilities down by 0.31% and PSU down by 0.26% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Trent up by 3.01%, Axis Bank up by 2.52%, ICICI Bank up by 1.77%, Asian Paints up by 1.56% and Hindustan Unilever up by 1.06%. On the flip side, Sun Pharma down by 2.43%, ITC down by 2.03%, Power Grid Corporation down by 1.75%, Bharat Electronics down by 0.99% and Bharti Airtel down by 0.73% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, expressing confidence over India-US trade deal, which is likely to be finalised in coming weeks or months, US Ambassador Sergio Gor has said that the US is looking forward to sealing the proposed bilateral trade agreement with India. He said the deal will facilitate expanding market access, reduce barriers, and create greater certainty for businesses. He added that the trade deal will strengthen supply chains and drive sustained inclusive growth besides encouraging new investments. 

The ambassador said President Donald Trump's goal is to facilitate bilateral trade in a way that creates lucrative opportunities for American businesses and workers. Referring to finalisation of India's free trade pact with the European Union in January, Gor suggested that it took almost 19 years. However, he said the India-US trade deal could be sealed within one-and-half years of starting the negotiations. 

The ambassador said India's expanding manufacturing ecosystem, digital infrastructure, innovation capabilities, and skilled talent pool complement the American leadership in technology, investment, advanced research, and entrepreneurship. He said the shared ambition of the US and India to achieve $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 reflects the confidence and connect between the two economies. He noted that over the last two decades, bilateral trade has grown from about $20 billion to over $220 billion in goods and services, an eleven-fold increase that reflects deep trust and strengthened economic integration.

CNX Nifty touched high and low of 23,835.65 and 23,671.00, respectively. There were 31 stocks advancing against 19 stocks declining on the index. 

The top gainers on Nifty were Trent up by 3.18%, Shriram Finance up by 2.98%, Axis Bank up by 2.69%, ICICI Bank up by 1.96% and Wipro up by 1.62%. On the flip side, Max Healthcare Inst down by 6.24%, Sun Pharma down by 2.71%, ONGC down by 1.99%, ITC down by 1.95% and Power Grid Corporation down by 1.80% were the top losers.

European markets were trading higher; UK’s FTSE 100 increased 29.74 points or 0.28% to 10,473.21, France’s CAC rose 33.6 points or 0.42% to 8,119.60 and Germany’s DAX gained 114.53 points or 0.47% to 24,721.30. 

Asian markets settled higher on Friday tracking Wall Street’s gains overnight amid growing optimism regarding US-Iran diplomatic efforts. The Nikkei 225 jumped, led by AI and chip-linked shares, with SoftBank Group shares surged 11.89% after reports indicated that two of its portfolio companies, OpenAI and SB Energy, are progressing toward US initial public offerings. Japan’s core inflation slowed to 1.4% year-on-year in April 2026, marking a four-year low, potentially weakening the case for an early rate hike by the Bank of Japan. South Korean shares ended marginally higher after a measure of consumer sentiment rose in May. 

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

4,112.90

35.62

0.87

Hang Seng

25,606.03

219.51

0.86

Jakarta Composite

6,162.04

67.10

1.09

KLSE Composite

1,712.67

4.31

0.25

Nikkei 225

63,339.07

1,654.93

2.68

Straits Times

5,068.15

22.44

0.44

KOSPI Composite

7,847.71

32.12

0.41

Taiwan Weighted

42,267.97

899.76

2.18
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