Stock Market News (17 Jul 26): Nifty up by 0.23% and Sensex up by 0.24%

Indian markets are likely to be uncertain today amid weak cues from the global markets, net fund outflows from domestic markets, and a rise in crude oil prices. The previous session ended the day with mixed sentiment after Iran warned that it would “crush” key targets in the Middle East if U.S President Donald Trump’s threats to target the country’s infrastructure in the coming days.

Global cues

• Both Asian markets and U.S markets traded lower as investors are doubting whether the billions of dollars being spent on artificial intelligence will translate into meaningful earnings growth.

Gift Nifty

• On July 17, 2026, the GIFT Nifty traded in the red amid negative cues from the Asian markets and fund outflows from the Indian markets.

Asian Markets

• Asian markets traded lower amid cautious investor sentiment due to renewed selling in global technology stocks.
• KOSPI is closed today on account of the Constitution Day.

US & European Markets

• The U.S markets traded in the red, dragged down by the losses in semiconductor shares, with Shares of Micron Technology and Advanced Micro Devices dropping by more than 5% each, Broadcom by 5%, and the U.S-listed SK Hynix by more than 13%, after TSMC posted an increase in its spending forecast, which overshadowed a better-than-expected second-quarter report.

• The United Kingdom’s FTSE traded in the green, led by gains in Consumer Staples and Pharma & Biotech stocks.
• The French index, CAC, traded lower, dragged by losses in STMicroelectronics down by 8.90%, TP by 4.06%, and Schneider Electric by 2.20%.
• The German index, the DAX, closed trading in the red amid losses in Infineon by 4.23%, E.ON by 2.30%, and Siemens Energy by 2.26%.

Commodities

• Crude oil prices traded in the green amid escalating attacks between the U.S and Iran, which intensified concerns over supply disruptions in West Asia.
• Precious metals, such as gold traded higher amid renewed buying interest, while silver traded in the red amid a firm dollar.
• Natural gas continued to trade lower amid selling pressure.

Currency Movements

• The dollar index traded higher amid safe-haven currency demand due to continued tensions in the Middle East.
• The pound sterling and euro declined against the rupee amid selling pressure from rising crude prices, raising inflation concerns.

Sectors to watch

• Renewable Energy Sector: ACME Solar Holdings secured long-term project financing of ₹2,646.6 crore from REC to develop and construct the project, combining solar generation with battery energy storage to deliver firm, dispatchable power.
• Banking Sector: The RBI issued final prudential norms for banks, small finance banks (SFBs) and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), prohibiting them from selling specified non-financial assets (SNFAs) which were acquired during the resolution of stressed loans back to the defaulting borrower or its related parties.
• Oil & Gas Sector: Petrol and diesel sales by Indian state-run fuel retailers rose sharply in the first half of July, backed by below-normal monsoon rainfall that boosted fuel demand from farmers and motorists.
• Power Sector: The Ministry of Power and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) are holding meetings with distribution utilities, transmission companies, and data centre developers to assess power supply requirements, transmission connectivity and infrastructure planning in the backdrop of the ministry's internal estimates estimating power demand from data centres at 26 GW by 2032 and 35.7 GW by 2040.

Stocks to watch

• Maruti Suzuki India: Maruti Suzuki India to challenge the order passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Raipur, which directed the company to replace a customer's vehicle with a new E20-compatible model after the consumer alleged problems linked to the use of E20 petrol.
• PC Jeweller: PC Jeweller is set to raise ₹1,000 crore through the issuance of equity shares via a Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP) in one or more tranches.
• Servotech Renewable Power System: SERVOTECH secured an order from the Rural Development Department, Uttar Pradesh, for a 900 kW solar rooftop project across 12 locations.
• Coal India: Coal India received the commissioning certificate for 200 MW of solar power capacity out of the 300 MW solar power project at Khavda, Gujarat, from the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA).
• HCL Technologies: HCL Technologies entered into a seven-year agreement with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) to acquire Guardian India, the insurer's global capability centre.

FII and DII Inflows - 16th July 2026

(The above numbers are in ₹ Cr)

• On 16th July, net fund outflows were at ₹1,219.15 crore, with domestic institutional investors as net buyers, supporting Indian markets, and foreign institutional investors as net sellers, shifting towards safe-haven assets like gold and the dollar amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Global Events & Updates

• On July 17, Italy will release the yearly construction output data for May 2026.
• The United States will release the monthly and yearly industrial production data for June 2026 today.
• The Euro Area will release the final inflation data for June 2026 today.

Things to look out for

• Retail Sales in the United States rose to 6.7% YoY in June 2026.
• The United Kingdom’s GDP expanded by 1.3% YoY in May 2026, below market expectations of 1.4%.