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Key gauges add losses in morning deals
Aug-19-2026

Indian equity benchmarks extended losses in morning deals, amid weakness in global equities due to higher bond yields and geopolitical uncertainty. The expiry of the temporary 60-day US-Iran ceasefire without any meaningful diplomatic breakthrough has renewed concerns over a prolonged disruption to energy supplies, driving crude oil prices higher. Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that he will undertake a four-day visit to Japan from August 24, 2026 to hold discussions on strengthening trade and investment ties between the two countries. 

Both the Sensex and Nifty were trading around half percent lower in morning deals, weighed down by losses in Capital Goods, Power and Utilities stocks. Traders overlooked exchange data showing that Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 1,651.53 crore on Tuesday. On the global front, Asian markets are trading lower as elevated oil prices and rising global bond yields amid an apparent impasse in Middle East peace talks fueled inflation concerns.

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 76900.58, down by 334.88 points or 0.43% after trading in a range of 76894.11 and 77347.81. There were 9 stocks advancing against 21 stocks declining on the index.

The few gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 0.06% and TECK up by 0.04%, while Capital Goods down by 1.67%, Power down by 1.67%, Utilities down by 1.15%, Industrials down by 1.15% and Basic Materials down by 0.78% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Sun Pharma up by 0.93%, Eternal up by 0.92%, HCL Technologies up by 0.52%, Kotak Mahindra Bank up by 0.46% and Titan Company up by 0.42%. On the flip side, Power Grid down by 1.40%, Bharat Electronics down by 0.95%, HDFC Bank down by 0.93%, Larsen & Toubro down by 0.88% and TCS down by 0.79% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the commerce ministry, in its latest data, has said that India’s tanker exports surged more than six-fold to $1.36 billion in the June quarter of current financial year (Q1FY27), up from $221.1 million a year earlier, highlighting the country’s expanding shipbuilding and maritime engineering capabilities. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the largest destination during the period. It stated that export volumes also expanded significantly from 10 vessels to 23 vessels, reflecting increasing international demand for Indian-built tankers and marine transportation assets.

It mentioned that the United Arab Emirates emerged as the dominant export destination, accounting for $900.8 million worth of tanker imports in Q1FY27. Shipments to the UAE increased dramatically from $103.6 million to $900.8 million, while the number of exported vessels rose from four to seven tankers. Moreover, Singapore - one of the world's leading maritime hubs - became the second-largest destination with imports worth $146.4 million Q1FY27, up from $45.5 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Export volumes to Singapore increased from two vessels to six, demonstrating India's growing participation in global shipping and logistics ecosystems.

Further, outbound shipments to Sri Lanka rose from $7.9 million to $56.5 million, while new shipments were recorded to Egypt ($39.3 million), South Africa ($34.2 million), Vietnam ($31.5 million), Indonesia ($12.2 million), and Mozambique ($7.7 million). The increase in tanker exports reflects India’s expanding capabilities in high-value shipbuilding sector. Rising demand from the UAE, Singapore and other key maritime economies, coupled with rising vessel deliveries from Indian shipyards, demonstrates the country's growing role in global maritime trade and commercial shipping.  

Tankers are large-scale transport ships engineered for the bulk movement of liquids and gases. They serve as a cornerstone of global energy networks and industrial supply chains, they safely distribute vital commodities, including crude oil, petroleum products, chemicals, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and fresh water.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24051.95, down by 102.95 points or 0.43% after trading in a range of 24050.55 and 24172.85. There were 17 stocks advancing against 33 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Eternal up by 0.90%, Sun Pharma up by 0.85%, HCL Technologies up by 0.60%, JSW Steel up by 0.54% and Dr. Reddy's Labs. up by 0.53%. On the flip side, Coal India down by 2.21%, SBI Life Insurance down by 1.69%, Power Grid down by 1.60%, Grasim Industries down by 1.43% and Bharat Electronics down by 1.12% were the top losers.

All Asian markets are trading lower; Nikkei 225 slipped 2141.73 points or 3.17% to 65,319.00, Taiwan Weighted lost 779.73 points or 1.72% to 44,528.95, Jakarta Composite plunged 38.63 points or 0.6% to 6,411.20, Shanghai Composite weakened 91.69 points or 2.3% to 3,898.61, KOSPI dropped 371.97 points or 5.41% to 6,497.86, Hang Seng declined 3.15 points or 0.01% to 25,468.00 and Straits Times fell 13.87 points or 0.24% to 5,687.53. 
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