Market Wrap, 15 July 2026: Benchmarks Close In Green Despite Losing Steam

The Sensex and the Nifty 50 lost steam by the end of the trading session on Wednesday. However, they still managed to close in the green. At the close, the:

• Nifty 50 stood at 24,078.50, up 0.11%

• Sensex stood at 77,185.43, up 0.17%

Broader markets also closed in the green. The Nifty Midcap 100 index ended 0.28% higher. On the other hand, the Nifty Smallcap 100 index closed 0.67% higher.

On the sectoral front, the Nifty Chemicals, Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Financial Services traded in the positive. On the other hand, Nifty IT and Nifty Metal underperformed (see table).

Nifty 50 Gainers And Losers

The following stocks were the top gainers and losers in the Nifty 50 index today:

Reasons For Market Rally Today

Several factors propelled the markets today, including:

• Easing of US inflation, which saw the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) come down to 3.5% in June, down from 4.2% in May.

• Withdrawal of the proposed 20% transit fee through the Strait of Hormuz by US President Donald Trump.

• Unveiling of an updated Russia sanctions bill, which proposes to cut tariffs for countries importing Russian oil and gas from 500% to 100%.

• Value buying in banking, financial and auto stocks in the midst of healthy Q1 FY27 earnings.

Crude Oil Rates Today

Oil prices continued to go north after Donald Trump warned of additional strikes on Iran. President Trump’s comments came just after the US reinstated its naval blockade of Iranian shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz.

At 15:38, Brent oil futures for September 2026 stood at $85.59 per barrel. During the same time, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures for August 2026 stood at $80.22 per barrel.

Other Important Headlines

Some of the other major headlines of the day include:

• Under the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Indian steel exporters can ship more than 11 lakh tonnes of steel to the UK each year sans import duty.

• The Tata Group has sought approval to invest ₹100 billion in a shipbuilding venture in Kerala.

• MakeMyTrip India is reportedly preparing to file papers confidentially for an initial public offering (IPO) of more than $1 billion.

Gold And Silver Rates Today

Gold and silver rates plunged on the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX). At 15:39, gold August futures on the MCX stood at ₹1,41,187 per 10 grams, down 0.75%. September silver futures during the same time stood at ₹2,21,525 per kg, down 0.75%.

The renewed tension between the US and Iran is likely to keep markets oscillating between hope and despair in the coming days. Every geopolitical development is likely to influence investor sentiment and risk appetite.

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