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Markets trade firm in early deals amid signs of easing geopolitical concerns
May-22-2026

Indian equity benchmarks made a flat-to-positive start on Friday and soon gained momentum to trade notably higher with gains of around half a percent each in early deals tracking positive cues from Asian peers and easing geopolitical concerns. Traders took note of US Ambassador Sergio Gor’s statement that the US is looking forward to sealing the proposed bilateral trade agreement with India that will facilitate expanding market access, reduce barriers, and create greater certainty for businesses. Though, upside remained capped as some cautiousness crept in amid foreign fund outflows. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 1,891 crore on Thursday.

On the global front, Asian markets were trading higher as investors evaluated ongoing diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran aimed at securing a peace deal. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been ‘some good signs’ in talks with Iran, although disagreements remain over Tehran’s uranium stockpile and control of the waterway.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 75588.13, up by 404.77 points or 0.54% after trading in a range of 75230.75 and 75642.81. There were 19 stocks advancing against 11 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Consumer Durables up by 1.15%, Bankex up by 1.05%, Telecom up by 0.71%, Metal up by 0.34% and Basic Materials up by 0.30%, while Healthcare down by 0.80%, Realty down by 0.65%, Oil & Gas down by 0.50%, IT down by 0.48% and Energy down by 0.28% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Asian Paints up by 1.80%, ICICI Bank up by 1.70%, HDFC Bank up by 1.36%, Axis Bank up by 1.25% and Kotak Mahindra Bank up by 1.09%. On the flip side, ITC down by 0.97%, Power Grid down by 0.97%, Tech Mahindra down by 0.57%, TCS down by 0.52% and Infosys down by 0.48% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, expressing confidence over India-US trade deal, which is likely to be finalised in coming weeks or months, US Ambassador Sergio Gor has said that the US is looking forward to sealing the proposed bilateral trade agreement with India. He said the deal will facilitate expanding market access, reduce barriers, and create greater certainty for businesses. He added that the trade deal will strengthen supply chains and drive sustained inclusive growth besides encouraging new investments. 

The ambassador said President Donald Trump's goal is to facilitate bilateral trade in a way that creates lucrative opportunities for American businesses and workers. Referring to finalisation of India's free trade pact with the European Union in January, Gor suggested that it took almost 19 years. However, he said the India-US trade deal could be sealed within one-and-half years of starting the negotiations. 

The ambassador said India's expanding manufacturing ecosystem, digital infrastructure, innovation capabilities, and skilled talent pool complement the American leadership in technology, investment, advanced research, and entrepreneurship. He said the shared ambition of the US and India to achieve $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 reflects the confidence and connect between the two economies. He noted that over the last two decades, bilateral trade has grown from about $20 billion to over $220 billion in goods and services, an eleven-fold increase that reflects deep trust and strengthened economic integration.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 23752.95, up by 98.25 points or 0.42% after trading in a range of 23671.00 and 23778.60. There were 31 stocks advancing against 18 stocks declining, while 1 stock remain unchanged on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Asian Paints up by 1.93%, ICICI Bank up by 1.63%, HDFC Bank up by 1.36%, SBI Life Insurance up by 1.33% and Axis Bank up by 1.23%. On the flip side, Max Healthcare Inst down by 6.15%, Power Grid down by 1.07%, ITC down by 1.01%, Dr. Reddy's Lab down by 0.74% and Coal India down by 0.52% were the top losers.

All Asian markets were trading higher; Nikkei 225 surged 1622.86 points or 2.63% to 63,307.00, Taiwan Weighted jumped 699.22 points or 1.69% to 42,067.43, Hang Seng rose 339.48 points or 1.32% to 25,726.00, KOSPI advanced 37.64 points or 0.48% to 7,853.23, Straits Times gained 19.35 points or 0.38% to 5,065.06, Shanghai Composite strengthened 18.96 points or 0.47% to 4,096.24 and Jakarta Composite was up by 0.67 points or 0.01% to 6,095.61.
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