Stock Market Update 21 May 2026: Sensex Gains Over 550 Pts; Nifty 50 Above 23,800

Most Indian stock market indices are trading higher after market opening on Thursday, 21 May 2026.

At around 9:16 AM, the Sensex was up by 556.42 points (0.74%) to trade at 75,874.81. The Nifty 50 was also up by 168.75 points (0.71%) to trade at 23,827.75.

Notably, both indices ended a bit higher on Wednesday, with the Sensex gaining 0.16% to close at 75,318.39, while the Nifty50 gaining 0.17% to close at 23,659.

How Other Indices Are Performing?

Not just the Sensex and Nifty, but most other indices were also trading higher during early trade on Thursday.

At around 9:18 AM, Bank Nifty was up by around 0.63% to trade at 53,898.35. The Nifty Financial Services index was also trading higher by 0.64% at 25,455.25.

All sectoral indices, including the Nifty Auto (up 0.84%), Nifty Metal (up 0.67%), Nifty Pharma (up 0.33%), and Nifty IT (up 0.28%), were also trading in the green.

Top Gainers And Losers

Investor sentiments were mostly bullish on Thursday. Market breadth stayed firmly positive after the opening bell. Around 1,852 shares advanced, while 459 stocks declined.

The top gainers on Nifty were Grasim Industries, Siemens Energy, Interglobe Aviation, and Adani Energy Solutions. The top losers were ONGC, Tata Consumer, Tata Power, and Sun Pharma.

What About The Global Markets?

Global markets mostly gave positive cues after some good news from the Middle East.

• S&P 500 futures were down 0.2% as of 10:48 AM Tokyo time.

• Nikkei 225 futures (OSE) were up 3.6%.

• Japan’s Topix was up 2.1%.

• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 1.7%.

• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 0.7%.

• The Shanghai Composite was up 0.6%.

• Euro Stoxx 50 futures were up 0.2%.

Developments Shaping The Market

• Middle East Tension: The uncertainty in the Middle East is one of the most crucial factors that is causing the current market volatility. On Wednesday, the US president said that peace talks with Iran are in their final stages, and there could be a positive outcome soon.

• Rupee Rebounds: The Indian National Rupee (INR) has been under constant pressure due to geopolitical uncertainty and volatile energy prices. However, on Thursday, the currency rebounded 0.54% to open at 96.30 per USD.

• Oil Prices: Oil prices on Thursday hovered around $105 per barrel after fresh hopes of peace in the Middle East. This is well below last week’s high of $115 per barrel.

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Investor Takeaway

The Indian stock markets seem to be going through a highly volatile and uncertain phase. Going ahead, national and international geopolitical factors, including the Middle East war, could shape how the markets behave in the short term.

Sources:

The Economic Times

Moneycontrol