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Key indices end mixed on Friday
Sep-18-2026

Indian equity benchmarks ended mixed on Friday after a range-bound session, with Sensex and Nifty witnessing divergent trends, as a drop in crude oil prices was overshadowed by weakness in IT stocks. Traders remained cautious as exchange data showed that foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net sellers on Thursday, offloading equities worth Rs 3,208 crore.

The BSE Sensex gave up initial gains and closed almost flat amid broad-based selling in heavyweight stocks. IT stocks remained the biggest drag, with Consumer Durables and FMCG also facing pressure. In contrast, the Nifty 50 ended in green with gains of over 0.30% on account of buying among Adani group stocks namely Adani Ports & SEZ and Adani Enterprises following reported rating upgrades by private brokerages. 

Some of the important factors in trade: 

Net direct tax collection rises 13% to Rs 12.12 lakh crore: The data released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) showed the government's net direct tax collection rose 13% to over Rs 12.12 lakh crore till September 17 of the current fiscal on higher advance tax mop-up. 

India, New Zealand expedite domestic processes for early FTA implementation: With an aim to fast-track the process of the bilateral trade agreement, the Commerce Ministry has said that India and New Zealand are working closely to complete their respective domestic processes to facilitate the early implementation of the pact. 

Moody’s raises India’s GDP growth forecast to 7% for FY27: Moody’s Ratings has sharply raised India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for FY27 to 7% from its earlier estimate of 6%, citing the country's resilience to global shocks arising from the conflict in the Middle East. 

Semicon 2.0 to target at least 200 chip design startups, companies: Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the government is targeting at least 200 startups and companies engaged in chip design in India under the next phase of the country’s semiconductor mission, Semicon 2.0. 

Global front: European markets were trading lower as a cautious undertone prevailed after a European Central Bank survey showed Euro Zone consumers nudged up their inflation expectations in August. Asian markets settled mostly higher as a pullback in oil prices and bond yields helped ease global inflation worries and the outlook for interest rates. 

Finally, the BSE Sensex fell 19.63 points or 0.03% to 74,294.96 and the CNX Nifty was up by 75.80 points or 0.33% to 23,346.40.     

The BSE Sensex touched high and low of 74,728.44 and 74,294.96, respectively. There were 10 stocks advancing against 20 stocks declining on the index.              

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Industrials up by 1.70%, Capital Goods up by 1.56%, Power up by 1.32%, Utilities up by 1.15% and Telecom up by 0.92%, while IT down by 1.34%, Consumer Durables down by 1.27%, FMCG down by 0.52% and TECK down by 0.24% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were HDFC Bank up by 2.52%, Adani Ports &SEZ up by 1.85%, Bajaj Finance up by 1.70%, Larsen & Toubro up by 1.67% and Interglobe Aviation up by 1.36%. On the flip side, TCS down by 4.11%, Maruti Suzuki India down by 1.82%, Infosys down by 1.50%, HCL Technologies down by 1.27% and Tech Mahindra down by 1.10% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, Moody’s Ratings has sharply raised India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for the current fiscal (FY27) to 7 per cent from its earlier estimate of 6 per cent, citing the country's resilience to global shocks arising from the conflict in the Middle East. However, it warned that high energy prices and El Nino-related food price pressures pose risks ‌to inflation, consumption and growth. In its periodic review of India’s ‘Baa3’ sovereign rating, Moody’s expects debt reduction to remain gradual and debt affordability to stay weaker, reflecting India’s high debt burden and elevated interest cost structure.  

Moody’s said India’s economy expanded to 8.2 per cent year on year in the first six months of calendar year (CY) 2026, up from 7.3 per cent for the full year in CY 2025, supported by stronger private consumption, robust gross fixed capital formation that reflects continued public infrastructure spending and a likely revival of private sector investment, and sustained strength in the services sector. It expects India to continue growing faster than other G20 economies and similarly rated emerging-market sovereigns, although it flagged several risks to the outlook.

It said ‘looking ahead, in the absence of an enduring resolution to the conflict in the Middle East, elevated energy prices could push annual average inflation beyond our projection of 4.8 per cent for fiscal 2026-27, which is already significantly higher than the 2.4 per cent outturn in fiscal 2025-26, while El Nino-related disruptions could increase food price pressures, weighing on private consumption and economic activity.’ It noted that while the increased diversification of India’s crude import sources, sizeable foreign exchange reserves and strong domestic demand provide important buffers, higher energy and fertilizer import costs, softer external demand and weaker remittance inflows from the Middle East could widen the current account deficit and weigh on growth momentum more broadly.

CNX Nifty touched high and low of 23,389.15 and 23,286.60, respectively. There were 26 stocks advancing against 24 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Adani Ports &SEZ up by 4.93%, Adani Enterprises up by 3.31%, Bharti Airtel up by 3.12%, HDFC Bank up by 2.52% and Bajaj Finance up by 2.49%. On the flip side, TCS down by 3.88%, Tata Motors Passenger down by 3.40%, SBI Life Insurance down by 2.03%, Coal India down by 1.94% and Maruti Suzuki India down by 1.90% were the top losers. 

European markets were trading lower; UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 74.65 points or 0.69% to 10,741.49, France’s CAC fell 64.93 points or 0.79% to 8,122.00 and Germany’s DAX lost 166.61 points or 0.65% to 25,550.10.

Asian markets settled mostly higher on Friday, tracking Wall Street’s overnight gains, with technology stocks led the surge following reports that SK Hynix and Intel are in early talks to produce memory chips at Intel's idle Ohio complex in the United States. Moreover, lower Brent crude prices eased inflation concerns and boosted market sentiment. Japan’s Nikkei climbed and the Japanese yen weakened after the Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%, its highest level since 1995. Further, Chinese and Hong Kong markets rose as investors remained optimistic about the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24, 2026.

Asian Indices

Last Trade            

Change in Points

Change in %      

Shanghai Composite

3,911.87

36.27

0.94

Hang Seng

24,750.78

146.49

0.60

Jakarta Composite

6,441.16

-21.27

-0.33

KLSE Composite

1,665.56

-9.18

-0.55

Nikkei 225

65,018.95

882.70

1.38

Straits Times

5,656.11

-4.41

-0.08

KOSPI Composite

6,894.23

178.82

2.66

Taiwan Weighted

47,180.75

892.75

1.93
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