Taking Stock: Sensex, Nifty rise a percent on S&P upgrade, GST revamp hopes

Market Today

Benchmark equity indices ended higher for a third consecutive session on August 18, helped by cooling oil prices following Trump-Putin talks, India's sovereign rating upgrades by S&P and expectation of GST rate rationalisation by October.

At close, the Sensex was up 676.09 points or 0.84 percent at 81,273.75, and the Nifty was up 251.20 points or 1.02 percent at 24,882.50. The BSE midcap index gained a percent and the smallcap index added 1.4 percent.

The week started on a positive note and on extended buying across sectors, helping Nifty reclaim 25,000 level, however, selling in selected IT names trimmed intraday gains.

Also Read: Markets poised for revival in H2FY26 on policy boost, global reliefs

Maruti Suzuki, Nestle, Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Auto were among biggest gainers on the Nifty, while losers were ITC, Tech Mahindra, Eternal, L&T, NTPC.

Except IT, media and power, all other sectors ended in the green with the Auto index up 4 percent, consumer durable index up 3 percent, realty up 2 percent, while metal, FMCG, telecom private bank up 1-2 percent.

Also Read: Trump's tariff may hit Indian banks' corporate loan growth: Report

In stock-specific action, Nazara Technologies and Delta Corp sank 2 percent each on fears of attracting 40 percent GST, Vodafone Idea shares rose 5 percent as Q1 losses narrowed, Ashok Leyland shares jumped 8 percent on steady Q1 results, cement and auto stocks rallied up to 8 percent on GST rate rationalisation hopes, while banking and financial stocks rose up to 6 percent on S&P upgrade and GST reform push.

Index	Prices	Change	Change%
Sensex	82,626.23	0.00	+0.00%
Nifty 50	25,327.05	0.00	+0.00%
Nifty Bank	55,458.85	0.00	+0.00%

Nifty 50 25,327.05 0.00 (0.00%)

Mon, Sep 22, 2025

• 1D
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• 1M
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• 6M
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Biggest Gainer	Prices	Change	Change%
No Biggest Gainer details available.

Biggest Loser	Prices	Change	Change%
HCL Tech	1,467.40	-26.40	-1.77%

Best Sector	Prices	Change	Change%
Nifty Energy	35745.75	0.00	+0.00%

Worst Sector	Prices	Change	Change%
Nifty PSU Bank	7397.75	0.00	+0.00%

KEC International shares gained 7 percent on orders wins of Rs 1,402 crore, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals shares shed 3 percent as June quarter profit fell 86 percent, Inox Wind shares added 2 percent after Q1 profit surged 134 percent, Lemon Tree Hotels share price rose 5 percent as company to develop 5-star hotel in New Delhi.

More than 150 stocks touched their 52-week highs on the BSE, including Maruti Suzuki, Ashok Leyland, Hyundai Motor, TVS Motor, JK Cement, M&M, UltraTech Cement, Aditya Birla Capital, Maharashtra Scooters, Eicher Motors, Interglobe Aviations, Max Financial, Dalmia Bharat, Indian Bank, Sai Life Sciences, Apollo Hospitals, Nuvoco Vistas, Muthoot Finance, JM Financial, among others. Click to View More

Outlook for August 19

Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities

Today, the benchmark indices bounced back sharply. The Nifty ends 251 points higher, while the Sensex was up by 696 points. Among sectors, Auto and Consumer indices outperformed, with Auto gaining 4% and Consumer up by 3.30%. Despite strong market sentiment, the IT index registered intraday profit booking at higher levels. Technically, after a gap-up open, the market witnessed intraday selling pressure at higher levels. However, it succeeded in closing above the 20-day SMA (Simple Moving Average) or 24,750/81000, which is largely positive.

We believe that the short-term market outlook is positive, but buy on intraday dips and sell on rallies would be the ideal strategy for day traders. On the downside, 24,800/81000 and the 20-day SMA of 24,750/80800 would be key support levels, while 25,000 (50-day SMA)/81700 and 25,100/82000 could act as crucial resistance areas for the bulls. However, below 24,750/80800, the uptrend would become vulnerable. In that case, traders may prefer to exit their long positions.

Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities

Nifty opened with a gap-up but faced initial resistance at 25,000, leading to an intraday decline due to profit booking at higher levels. The sentiment, however, remains positive, with the potential to revisit 25,000 in the coming days.

Immediate support is placed at 24,800, below which the index may drift towards 24,500. On the higher side, a decisive move above 25,000 could trigger a larger rally in the market.

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