Equities Mixed, Rupee Steady; Bond Yields Rise as Crude Prices Ease

An end-of-day recap of all that transpired in the Indian markets, highlighting the major price movements and the factors driving them

iStock.com

By Tresha Dias

Tresha Dias is an independent financial journalist.

August 13, 2026 at 1:08 PM IST

Indian equities ended mixed on Thursday, with the Sensex snapping a two-session losing streak, while the Nifty50 extended its decline to a third day as metal and banking stocks weighed on the benchmark. The Sensex rose 113.61 points, or 0.15%, to 78,079.96, while the Nifty 50 fell 40.10 points, or 0.16%, to 24,395.85.

The broader market outperformed, with the Nifty MidCap and SmallCap indices rising 0.15% and 0.27%, respectively. The Nifty Metal index fell 1.05% to lead sectoral losses, while Nifty Realty and FMCG were among the top gainers. Hindalco Industries, UltraTech Cement and Grasim Industries were the biggest Nifty 50 decliners.

Sentiment drew some support from US inflation data, which was in line with expectations, easing concerns over a near-term Fed rate hike, while India's July CPI rose to 4.45% but remained within the RBI's tolerance band despite moving above its 4% target. Brent crude eased 1.7% to about $87 a barrel as concerns over weaker global demand and higher US inventories outweighed ongoing supply risks linked to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.

The Indian rupee ended 0.1% lower at 95.44 per dollar on Thursday as dollar outflows linked to derivative maturities and overseas debt repayments weighed on the currency.

The yield on the 10-year benchmark 6.94%, 2036 government bond ended at 6.7579% after falling to a low of 6.7551%, compared to 6.7776% on Wednesday.

Top Movers of the day

Black Box jumped 7.76% to the day's high of ₹832 per share on the National Stock Exchange as sentiment for the stock improved after the company said it won an order worth $11 3million to build a data centre for a US-based global Tier-1 hyperscaler.

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles rose 1.82% to ₹349.25. The company reported an 80% year-on-year fall in consolidated net profit to ₹7.75 billion in Q1FY27 from ₹39.24 billion, while revenue rose 9% to ₹95.80 billion. Profit was hit by supply constraints, including a fire at a key component supplier, the West Asia conflict and planned wind-down of Jaguar operations.

Saatvik Green Energy rose 1.76% to ₹443. The company bagged an order worth ₹4.76 billion from Vikran Engineering. As a part of the order, Saatvik Green Energy will supply solar photovoltaic modules manufactured by its subsidiary Saatvik Solar Industries.

Paytm rose 2.05% to ₹1,643 after BofA retained its Buy rating and raised its target price to ₹1,775, identifying the fintech as a key beneficiary of potential merchant discount rates on select UPI transactions. The brokerage said UPI monetisation could create a new earnings stream for Paytm, while its existing merchant and payments businesses continue to show strong momentum.

Astral surged as much as 8.74% to ₹1,592 after the building-materials maker reported strong Q1 FY27 results, with the earnings prompting positive broker reactions. Citi set a ₹1,900 target, while Nuvama upgraded the stock to Buy, further supporting investor sentiment.

Max Healthcare rose 0.50% to ₹1,012.50 despite earlier falling as much as 1.46% to 992 rupees, after the company reported a 3% year-on-year increase in Q1 FY27 profit to ₹3.57 billion and 15% growth in revenue to 28.35 billion rupees.

NTPC rose 1.02% to ₹342.90, supported by continued investor interest in power and renewable-energy companies as markets remained positive on India’s long-term electricity and clean-energy investment cycle.

Larsen & Toubro advanced 0.78% to ₹4,051.20, extending gains as investors remained positive on its strong order pipeline and execution outlook. The company reported a 14% year-on-year rise in Q1 FY27 consolidated net profit to ₹41.23 billion and record quarterly order inflows of ₹1.08 trillion, while retaining its FY27 guidance.

Solar Industries India advanced 8.52% to ₹20,325, hitting a fresh lifetime high after the company reported a 93% year-on-year jump in Q1 FY27 consolidated net profit to ₹6.53 billion. The sharp earnings growth strengthened investor sentiment and drove buying in the stock.

Hindustan Unilever gained 1.21% to ₹2,088, with the stock benefiting from improving sentiment towards the FMCG sector and on expectations of better volume growth. HUL had reported 6% volume growth in Q4 FY26, while management maintained its view of stronger growth in FY27.

Reliance Industries fell nearly 1.11% to ₹1,314.30 after MSCI cut the stock’s weight in its India index, with the adjustment expected to trigger about $523 million of passive outflows from the company. The anticipated selling pressure from index-tracking funds weighed on the stock despite the company remaining in the MSCI index.

Aditya Birla Real Estate fell 1.06% to ₹1,390 after its consolidated net loss widened to 386 million rupees in Q1FY27 from 255 million rupees a year earlier, highlighting continued pressure on profitability.

UltraTech Cement fell 1.74% to ₹11,684 after a block deal involving 0.86% of the company's equity changed hands, with reports suggesting promoter-linked entities may have sold shares.

Futures & Options
The Nifty August 2026 futures settled at 24,467.30, a premium of 71.45 points to the Nifty 50 cash close of 24,395.85. The Nifty 50 fell 40.10 points, or 0.16%, while the NSE India VIX, a gauge of near-term expected volatility, declined 2.33% to 11.42.

Jio Financial Services, Jubilant FoodWorks and Solar Industries were the most actively traded individual stock futures contracts on the NSE. The August 2026 F&O series will expire on August 25, 2026.

Bonds
The yield on the 10-year benchmark 6.94%, 2036 government bond ended at 6.7579% after falling to a low of 6.7551%, compared to 6.7776% on Wednesday. Brent crude eased 1.7% to about $87 a barrel as concerns over weaker global demand and higher US inventories outweighed ongoing supply risks linked to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.

This triggered buying sentiment for traders who were light on their holdings before the US and India CPI data for July, which were announced on Wednesday. FPIs were likely buying gilts maturing in 10 years and above, as the 10-year US Treasury yield eased to 4.7%. Foreign banks were buyers in the market.

Forex
The Indian rupee ended 0.1% lower at 95.44 per dollar on Thursday as dollar outflows linked to derivative maturities and overseas debt repayments weighed on the currency. Frequent intervention by the Reserve Bank of India continued to limit the rupee's losses and dampen expectations of sharp moves.

One-month implied rupee volatility fell to 4.2%, its lowest since early March, from just above 5% at the start of August. Traders said the RBI's interventions, which have occurred in nearly every trading session this week, have deterred speculative bets against the rupee and helped keep volatility expectations contained.

Crypto
The cryptocurrency market traded higher today, with Bitcoin and Ethereum posting modest gains as the broader market remained relatively steady.

Bitcoin traded near $63,844.20 today, up 0.30% over the past 24 hours, with a market capitalisation of $1.28 trillion and 24-hour trading volume of $23.45 billion. The cryptocurrency held below the $64,000 mark, with gains remaining limited.

Ethereum traded near $1,896.80 today, up 0.82% over the past 24 hours, with a market capitalisation of $229.52 billion and 24-hour trading volume of $8.37 billion. The second-largest cryptocurrency outperformed Bitcoin and moved closer to the key $1,900 level.

US Stock Futures
US stock futures edged higher early today as traders awaited the July producer price index report and weighed fresh corporate earnings. Dow futures gained 99 points, or 0.18%, while S&P 500 futures rose 0.14% and Nasdaq-100 futures were just above the flatline. The data comes a day after July CPI rose 0.1% month-on-month, in line with expectations.

US Treasury Notes
US Treasury note yields eased today, with the benchmark 10-year yield holding around 4.68% as investors awaited July producer inflation data for further clues on the Federal Reserve's policy outlook. US consumer inflation eased to 3.4% year-on-year in July, while prices rose 0.1% from the previous month, prompting markets to lower the probability of a 25-basis-point Fed rate hike in September to around 40% from nearly 50% a day earlier.

The US Treasury sold 10-year notes at a 4.683% yield, the highest at an auction since the global financial crisis, as inflation above the Federal Reserve's target and widening budget deficits kept pressure on longer-dated borrowing costs. Investors continued to demand higher compensation to hold US government debt amid concerns over the inflation and fiscal outlook.

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