Opening bell, 16th July: Nifty & Sensex up by 0.26%

On Thursday, the Indian bourses opened the day trading in the green in the pre-opening session, with the NIFTY 50 at 24,142.10, up by 0.26%, and the SENSEX at 77,388.42, up by 0.26%.

Indian markets are likely to be unstable today amid weak cues from Asian markets, foreign investors continued to exit from domestic markets, and a decline in crude oil prices. The previous session ended the day with positive sentiment after U.S senators eased the tariff proposal for India, China, and other importers of Russian oil and gas.

Global cues

• Asian markets traded mixed, and U.S markets traded higher as investors are trying to maintain a balance between the signs of easing inflation in the United States and rising geopolitical risks in the Middle East.

Gift Nifty

• On July 16, 2026, the GIFT Nifty traded in the green, signalling a positive start for the day amid a decline in crude prices, which eased inflationary pressures.

Asian Markets

• Nikkei and KOSPI traded in the red amid a sharp sell-off in semiconductor stocks, due to cautious investor sentiment ahead of results from TSMC.
• Hang Seng traded higher, led by gains in Tencent Holdings up by 2.11%, HSBC Holdings PLC by 0.58%, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China by 1.18%, and Alibaba Group Holding by 4.59%.
• TAIEX traded in the green, led by gains in Delta Electronics up by 0.79%, Hon Hai Precision Industry by 1.88%, ASE Technology Holding by 0.88%, and United Microelectronic Corp by 0.60%.

US & European Markets

• The U.S markets traded in the green, led by gains in leading tech stocks, with Amazon and Alphabet up by 3%, Microsoft by nearly 3%, and Apple by 4%, hitting a new all-time high.

• The United Kingdom’s FTSE traded in the red, dragged by losses in Lion Finance Group down by 1.40%, Games Workshop Group by 0.59%, Antofagasta by 2.91%, and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners by 1.20%.
• The French index, CAC, traded higher, led by gains in Stellantis NV up by 3.96%, Edenred by 3.94%, and Renault by 3.56%.
• The German index, the DAX, closed trading in the red amid losses in Infineon down by 5.45%, BASF by 2.99%, and Bayer by 2.87%.

Commodities

• Crude oil prices traded in the red amid selling pressure after a recent rally.
• Precious metals, such as gold and silver, traded in the red amid a firm dollar.
• Natural gas continued to trade lower due to reduced LNG export flows due to scheduled maintenance at the Freeport LNG facility in Texas.

Currency Movements

• The dollar index traded flat amid rising geopolitical tensions and fading hopes of a rate hike.
• The pound sterling and euro declined against the rupee amid cautious sentiment ahead of the United Kingdom’s GDP data and Eurozone’s inflation data this week.

Sectors to watch

• Automobile Sector: Indian passenger vehicle sales rose 24% YoY to 388,144 units in June 2026, while Two-wheelers and three-wheelers also posted robust gains, helping the auto industry achieve record first-quarter sales despite geopolitical uncertainties, backed by steady demand, lower financing costs and new model launches.
• Banking Sector: State Bank of India appointed Sunil Agrawal as its new Chief Financial Officer; he brings 27 years of extensive experience in financial services and strategic planning, with expertise in financial planning, capital management, and regulatory engagement.
• Oil & Gas Sector: The government has adjusted windfall taxes on fuel exports, effective July 16, with the export duty on petrol reduced to ₹2.5 per litre, the export duty on diesel rose to ₹15.5 per litre, and the export duty on aviation turbine fuel increased to ₹14.5.
• Insurance Sector: Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool (BMI Pool) received its first claim after a vessel covered under the arrangement was reportedly damaged in a drone attack in the Black Sea, which marks the pool's initial test amid geopolitical tensions. The claim is currently under assessment for payout within the pool's capacity.

Stocks to watch

• Ather Energy and Hero MotoCorp: Ather Energy’s board approved the allotment of 76.19 lakh convertible warrants to Hero MotoCorp on a preferential basis at an issue price of Rs 1,260 per warrant and also launched its qualified institutions placement (QIP) issue and fixed the floor price at ₹1,169.70 per equity share. 
• Adani Power: Adani Power signed a Power Supply Agreement (PSA) with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) to supply 1,600 MW of power from a 2x800 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power plant under the Design, Build, Finance, Own and Operate (DBFOO) model.
• HDFC Bank: HDFC Bank received approval from the RBI to appoint Rajiv Kumar as the Part-Time Chairman of HDFC Bank for a period of three years with effect from July 15.
• Exide Industries: Exide Industries invested ₹100 crore in its subsidiary, Exide Energy Solutions (EESL), through a rights issue, and increased its total investment to ₹4,902.23 crore.
• India Pesticides: India Pesticides received Technical Equivalence (TEQ) approval from the European Union (EU) for one of its fungicide products, which will help the company strengthen its export business by enhancing its access to the European market.

FII and DII Inflows - 15th July 2026

(The above numbers are in ₹ Cr)

• On 15th July, net fund outflows were at ₹30.9 crore, with domestic institutional investors as net buyers, being resilient, supporting Indian markets, and foreign institutional investors as net sellers, booking profits.

Global Events & Updates

• On July 16, India will release the annual passenger vehicle sales data for June 2026.
• The United Kingdom will release the annual GDP data for May 2026 today.
• The United States will release the monthly and yearly retail sales data for June 2026 today.

Things to look out for

• India’s unemployment rate remained steady from the previous month at 5.5% in June 2026, slightly above market expectations that it would decline to 5.4%.
• The United States Core Producer Prices rose to 4.7% YoY in June 2026, following a downwardly revised 4.6% rise in May, below forecasts of 5.2%, and averaged 2.71% from 2011 until 2026.