Nifty Ends Flat, Posts Weekly Decline as Crude Oil Prices Rise

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

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By Tresha Dias

Tresha Dias is an independent financial journalist.

August 21, 2026 at 12:27 PM IST

Benchmark equity indices ended little changed on Friday as gains in metals and private banks offset weakness in FMCG, auto and IT stocks. The Sensex rose 3.11 points to 77,540.83, while the Nifty50 gained 20.15 points, or 0.08%, to 24,252.00. Both indices ended lower for the second straight week.

Global equities retreated as bond yields rebounded, while oil prices continued to climb towards $95 per barrel amid simmering tensions between the US and Iran.

In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap and SmallCap indices rose 0.10% and 0.69%, respectively. Trent, Maruti Suzuki India and InterGlobe Aviation were the top Nifty50 losers.

The 10-year benchmark 6.94%, 2036 government bond ended at 6.8580%, compared with 6.8709% at previous close.

The Indian rupee ended little changed at 95.69 per dollar today, but declined 0.3% for the week as oil prices rose for the second straight week on concerns over supply disruptions from the Iran war.

Top Movers of the Day
Kabra Extrusiontechnik shares rose 5.90% to ₹560.30 in today's session amid heavy demand. The stock hit a 52-week high and has been steadily rising after hitting lows in June and has gained 181% so far.

Hindustan Copper gained nearly 2.32% to ₹573.10 as a rise in international copper prices and a weak US dollar lifted sentiment for the stock.

IIFL Finance rose 7.26% to ₹682.90, rising 8% intraday amid heavy volumes and improving sentiment on expectations of a healthy business outlook.

Power Grid Corporation of India rose 2.87% to ₹272.40 on the NSE today after shareholders approved raising the company’s overall borrowing limit to ₹2.2 trillion from ₹1.8 trillion. The company also raised the domestic private placement limit for bonds and debentures. The higher borrowing limits give the state-run power transmission utility greater flexibility to fund its capital expenditure over the next two years.

Data Patterns (India) surged 2.17% to ₹4,802.10 and crossed ₹5,000 intraday for the first time after the company received an order worth 5.86 billion rupees from state-owned company Bharat Electronic for procurement of Radar Electronics.

JBM Auto surged 6.35% to ₹662.95 on heavy volumes amid reports that Bain Capital was considering an investment in the company.

Shanthi Gears rose 19.99% to ₹464.25 after Tube Investments bought stake in the company.

Welspun Corp jumped 14.26% to a new high of ₹2,291.20 after the company secured a $1.8-billion order from a US-based manufacturing facility. The stock has gained for five straight trading sessions, surging 19% during the period.

RailTel Corporation of India rose 1.87% to ₹286 after the company announced it had won an order worth 165 billion rupees from Western Coalfields to set up an MPLS VPN network on a 60-month rental basis.

Shree Renuka Sugars fell 3.48% to ₹25.22 after the government allowed duty-free imports of up to 1 million tonnes of raw sugar under a tariff-rate quota until October 31. The move is aimed at improving domestic supplies and containing rising sugar prices. Investors expect the additional imports to put pressure on domestic sugar prices and, in turn, sugar mills' realisations.

Godrej Consumer Products fell 1.81% to ₹929.90. Investors remain cautious about execution under new CEO Aasif Malbari, despite GCPL retaining its 2026-27 growth guidance.

Futures & Options
The Nifty August 25, 2026 futures closed at 24,288, a premium of 36 points to the Nifty 50's cash-market close of 24,252. The Nifty rose 20.15 points, or 0.08%, on the day. The India VIX, a gauge of expected near-term market volatility, rose 3.81% to 11.17, signalling a rise in caution despite the largely steady headline indices.

HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries and Infosys were the most-traded individual stock futures contracts on the NSE. August 2026 F&O contracts are scheduled to expire on August 25.

Bonds
The benchmark 10-year 6.94%, 2036 government bond ended at 6.8580%, compared with 6.8709% at previous close.

The RBI set the cutoff on the 7.06%, 2041 bond at ₹99.93, or 7.0668%, compared with the 91bps poll median of ₹99.95. The cutoff on the 7.43%, 2076 bond was set at ₹98.22, or 7.5674%, against the poll median of ₹98.44.

Forex
The Indian rupee ended little changed at 95.69 per dollar today, but weakened 0.3% for the week as oil prices rose for a second straight week on concerns over supply disruptions from the Iran war.

Frequent intervention by the Reserve Bank of India limited the rupee's losses and helped keep it above the psychologically important 96-per-dollar level. Bankers and analysts said the RBI's capacity to contain rupee depreciation has been strengthened by more than $50 billion of inflows from measures announced in June to bolster India's balance of payments.

Crypto
The cryptocurrency market gained today, with Bitcoin and Ethereum rising.

Bitcoin traded near $74,981.98, up 18.42% over the period shown in the data, with a market capitalisation of $1.5 trillion and 24-hour trading volume of $60.27 billion.

Ethereum traded near $2,352.91, up 24.95% over the period shown, with a market capitalisation of $283.95 billion and 24-hour trading volume of $27.8 billion.

US Stock Futures
US stock futures rose today as investors looked to recover from the previous session's sharp sell-off, which was driven by a rebound in Treasury yields. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 199 points, or 0.4%, while S&P 500 futures gained 0.3% and Nasdaq-100 futures advanced 0.6%.

US Treasury
US Treasury note yields rebounded today, with the benchmark 10-year yield trading around 4.70% after rising sharply in the previous session as investors questioned whether the US government's plan to lower borrowing costs would provide lasting relief. The 30-year yield also climbed to around 5.25%, reversing most of its previous decline after the Treasury Department announced larger buybacks of longer-dated debt.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the buybacks could exceed $4 billion per operation and pointed to an upcoming fiscal plan, while saying the US budget deficit had likely peaked under President Donald Trump. Longer-dated yields have remained elevated amid heavy government borrowing and increased debt issuance linked to AI investment, while higher oil prices and renewed tensions with Iran added to inflation concerns.

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