Pre-Market 24 September 2026: GIFT Nifty Points To Weak Opening; Global Cues In Focus

Indian equities head into Thursday after the benchmarks recovered, while the NSE listing, crude prices and fresh moves in US bond yields will be in focus today.

Indian Markets Recap

The Sensex rose 299.17 points, or 0.40%, to settle at 74,828.25, while the Nifty 50 added 117.80 points, or 0.50%, to 23,446.80 on Wednesday. The broader market also finished higher, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 gaining 0.70% and 0.89%, respectively.

Metal stocks led the move, with Nifty Metal gaining more than 2%. FMCG, PSU banks and auto stocks also closed higher. The IT sector was the main laggard, falling 0.87%.

The rupee closed at 95.74 against the US dollar, according to provisional data, as the dollar strengthened against Asian currencies amid expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates again.

Oil remains closely linked to the market mood. Brent crude was trading around the $100 mark as investors assessed the latest US-Iran talks and the outlook for Gulf supplies.

Global Markets Update

The US stock market ended lower on Wednesday as rising Treasury yields added pressure to equities. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.68%, the S&P 500 was lower by 0.75%, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 1.13%.

European markets ended lower. The FTSE 100 was at 10,705.26, down 0.03%, while France's CAC 40 stood at 8,123.41, down 0.39%.

Asian markets were mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.01% to 24,834.12, while South Korea's Kospi gained 0.90% to 7,080.92. Japan's Nikkei was closed for a holiday, with its last available close at 65,018.95.

GIFT Nifty Cues

At 7:29 am on 24 September 2026, GIFT Nifty was trading at 23,251.00, down 194.50 points, or 0.83%, hinting at a weaker opening bias for Indian equities on Thursday.

Nifty 50 Technical View

Nifty 50 is now above the immediate 23,400–23,300 support zone; holding this area could keep the index on course towards 23,500–23,600.

A sustained move above 23,600 could open the way towards the 23,800–24,000 zone. On the downside, a break below 23,300 would bring the next support area into focus.

What Could Shape Thursday's Trade?

The NSE listing will be one of the main domestic events on Thursday. The ₹22,569 crore IPO was subscribed 5.71 times, and the shares are scheduled to debut on both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India (MSEI).

In global developments, the Trump-Xi meeting in Washington will also be tracked by traders, with trade, AI and critical minerals among the issues expected to feature in discussions between the US and Chinese presidents.

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