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Key gauges end mixed on Thursday
Sep-17-2026

Indian equity benchmarks ended mixed on Thursday after a range-bound session, with Sensex and Nifty witnessing divergent trends as caution prevailed after the US Federal Reserve increased its interest rates and indicated further tightening in monetary policy. Market participants continued to keep an eye on crude oil prices, which have moderated from last week’s levels but remained elevated.   

The BSE Sensex gave up initial gains and closed with minor cuts weighed down by selling pressure in Banking, Energy and Oil & Gas stocks. Gains in Capital Goods and Industrials stocks helped cushion the decline. In contrast, the Nifty 50 ended in green with gains of over 0.20% on account of buying in Reliance Industries, Larsen & Toubro and Bajaj Finance. 

Some of the important factors in trade: 

India remains key driver of global growth: Praising the resilience of the Indian economy, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke has said that India remains a key driver of global growth and continues to be the world’s fastest-growing major economy, supported by strong fundamentals and sound policy frameworks. 

India, Bhutan discuss development partnership, energy, trade and connectivity: India and Bhutan discussed key areas of bilateral cooperation, including development partnership, energy, trade and connectivity as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Bhutanese counterpart D N Dhungyel in Bumthang on September 16, 2026. 

MDR charges on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 could drive small merchants back to cash: The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has said that The Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 may push small merchants and cost-conscious consumers back to cash. 

India's power minister meets US energy secretary, discusses nuclear power: Power Minister Manohar Lal has met US Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Houston and discussed India's nuclear energy expansion roadmap and other issues. 

Global front: European markets were trading higher as oil prices retreated and a global bond selloff paused following Fed’s interest rate hike. Asian markets ended mixed ahead of high-level U.S.-China talks scheduled for this weekend. U.S. Treasury Secretary said the United States is open to discussing shared risks with China in upcoming AI talks. 

Finally, the BSE Sensex fell 21.86 points or 0.03% to 74,314.59 and the CNX Nifty was up by 53.00 points or 0.23% to 23,270.60.     

The BSE Sensex touched high and low of 74,677.56 and 74,163.95, respectively. There were 21 stocks advancing against 9 stocks declining on the index.             

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Capital Goods up by 1.96%, Industrials up by 1.51%, Realty up by 1.47%, Healthcare up by 1.36% and Power up by 1.34%, while Bankex down by 0.50%, Energy down by 0.35%, Oil & Gas down by 0.25% and TECK down by 0.08% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Tata Steel up by 2.38%, Interglobe Aviation up by 2.15%, Bharat Electronics up by 1.93%, Eternal up by 1.93% and Maruti Suzuki India up by 1.41%. On the flip side, Titan Company down by 1.42%, HDFC Bank down by 0.96%, Hindustan Unilever down by 0.64%, ICICI Bank down by 0.59% and HCL Technologies down by 0.57% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, praising the resilience of the Indian economy, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke has said that India remains a key driver of global growth and continues to be the world’s fastest-growing major economy, supported by strong fundamentals and sound policy frameworks. 

Clarke recently visited India, where he held meetings with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri, and business leaders. Clarke said his discussions with policymakers focused on India’s economic outlook, the evolving global environment, and policy priorities aimed at supporting sustainable and inclusive growth. He noted that “India has the potential to power the next wave of global growth, and the IMF remains a close partner in supporting the country on this journey.”

During his September 7-11 visit to India, Clarke also met government officials and business leaders in Mumbai and Chennai. Against the backdrop of heightened global uncertainty and evolving risks, Clarke said preserving macroeconomic stability and resilience remains essential. He said “We discussed the importance of maintaining nimble policies, keeping inflation in check, and advancing reforms that can lift productivity, strengthen competitiveness, and sustain strong growth over the medium term”.

He said his interactions highlighted the potential of innovation, digital transformation, advanced manufacturing, and technology adoption to boost productivity, strengthen competitiveness, and support higher-value economic activities. He added “Sustained investment in skills and responsible technology use will be important to ensure that the benefits of growth are widely shared”.

CNX Nifty touched high and low of 23,363.55 and 23,193.65, respectively. There were 36 stocks advancing against 14 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were HDFC Life Insurance up by 5.05%, Tata Motors Passenger up by 4.49%, SBI Life Insurance up by 4.06%, Dr. Reddy's Labs. up by 3.07% and Bharat Electronics up by 2.51%. On the flip side, ONGC down by 1.85%, Titan Company down by 1.38%, HDFC Bank down by 1.18%, Hindustan Unilever down by 1.01% and Coal India down by 1.01% were the top losers.

European markets were trading higher; UK’s FTSE 100 increased 23.82 points or 0.22% to 10,712.29, France’s CAC rose 13.91 points or 0.17% to 8,154.50 and Germany’s DAX gained 154.55 points or 0.61% to 25,692.30.

Asian markets ended mixed on Thursday as US Federal Reserve hiked interest rates for the first time in three years and signalled more hikes to curb persistent inflation. Chinese and Hong Kong markets declined as traders remained on sidelines ahead of high-level US-China talks scheduled for this weekend for final preparatory discussions before the September 24 summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at the White House in Washington. Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkie gained on declining oil prices amid expectations that crude flows through Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline could resume soon.

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

3,875.60

-16.00

-0.41

Hang Seng

24,604.29

-109.49

-0.44

Jakarta Composite

6,462.43

25.58

0.40

KLSE Composite

1,674.74

-4.47

-0.27

Nikkei 225

64,136.25

213.25

0.33

Straits Times

5,660.52

25.11

0.45

KOSPI Composite

6,715.41

-2.56

-0.04

Taiwan Weighted

46,288.00

439.10

0.96
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