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Markets make recovery to trade above neutral lines in late trade
May-20-2026

Indian equity markets wiped out all losses to trade above the neutral lines in late afternoon session as rupee recovered from its weakest level against the US dollar. The Indian rupee has recovered from 96.86 to trade around 96.69 against the US dollar. Some support also came as India and the Nordic countries, which includes Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden, have agreed to elevate their relationship to a Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership. The Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership is aimed at bolstering cooperation in areas such as clean and green transition, trade and investments and blue economy. However, gains remained capped as tensions in West Asia continued to weigh on market sentiments. 

On the global front, all Asian equity markets were trading lower as oil prices remained elevated on West Asia concerns and global bond yields hit multi-year highs, raising concerns about inflation, interest rates and economic growth. European equity markets were trading mostly in red after Euro Area’s annual inflation rate came at 3.0% in April 2026, the highest since September 2023.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 75330.26, up by 129.41 points or 0.17% after trading in a range of 74529.41 and 75385.06. There were 16 stocks advancing against 14 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Power up by 1.56%, Capital Goods up by 1.35%, Energy up by 1.27%, Oil & Gas up by 1.12% and Auto up by 1.04%, while FMCG down by 0.61%, Consumer Durables down by 0.34%, Basic Materials down by 0.22%, TECK down by 0.15% and IT down by 0.10% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Reliance Industries up by 2.68%, Bajaj Finserv up by 1.48%, Mahindra & Mahindra up by 1.43%, Axis Bank up by 1.10% and Interglobe Aviation up by 0.94%. On the flip side, Bharat Electronics down by 2.34%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.83%, Tata Steel down by 1.60%, Eternal down by 0.99% and ITC down by 0.95% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, acknowledging challenges in procuring fertilisers from the international market, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has urged states and farmers to increasingly adopt organic farming as an alternative amid supply disruptions triggered by the West Asia crisis. He said that the government was making all possible effort to ensure fertiliser availability for farmers despite difficulties in global sourcing.

The minister stressed the need to prevent the diversion and misuse of subsidised fertilisers during the ongoing supply crunch. He said ‘we must ensure that subsidised fertilisers are not diverted to any other sector. At the same time, duplication and poor-quality fertilisers, which adversely affect crops and farmers, must also be checked. States should take stringent action wherever such irregularities are found.’ Further, farmers are advised to grow drought-resistant crops due to El Nino forecasts, which indicate a likelihood of deficient rainfall during the middle of the crop season.

Referring to the Union Cabinet's recent decision to approve Rs 41,000 crore towards fertiliser subsidies, he said the Centre remains committed to supporting farmers. Pitching for sustainable agriculture, he called upon farmers to adopt organic farming practices to preserve soil health for future generations. He said every farmer should begin organic farming on at least a portion of their land. He said the government is planning to introduce two new Bills aimed at strengthening the legal framework for ensuring the availability of quality pesticides and seeds. 

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23660.90, up by 42.90 points or 0.18% after trading in a range of 23397.30 and 23678.95. There were 25 stocks advancing against 25 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Hindalco up by 3.15%, Reliance Industries up by 2.68%, Bajaj Auto up by 2.34%, Bajaj Finserv up by 1.40% and Mahindra & Mahindra up by 1.38%. On the flip side, Bharat Electronics down by 2.35%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.86%, Tata Steel down by 1.67%, Eternal down by 1.41% and Grasim Industries down by 1.00% were the top losers.

All Asian equity markets were trading lower; Nikkei 225 slipped 743.59 points or 1.24% to 59,807.00, Taiwan Weighted lost 154.74 points or 0.39% to 40,020.82, Hang Seng declined 170.85 points or 0.67% to 25,627.00, KOSPI dropped 62.71 points or 0.87% to 7,208.95, Straits Times fell 26.52 points or 0.53% to 5,045.82, Shanghai Composite weakened 7.36 points or 0.18% to 4,162.18 and Jakarta Composite plunged 80.74 points or 1.28% to 6,289.94.

European equity markets were trading mostly in red; UK’s FTSE 100 decreased 9.67 points or 0.09% to 10,320.88 and Germany’s DAX lost 34.65 points or 0.14% to 24,366.00, while France’s CAC rose 24.54 points or 0.31% to 8,006.30.
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