Indian Equity Markets Open Lower Amid Global Market Volatility

Indian equity markets opened Friday’s trade on a lower note after the tech stocks plunged by up to 7%. The Nifty 50 opened the trade 203.25 points or 0.84% lower at 23,964.75, while the BSE Sensex pulled back 719.13 points or 0.93% to open at 76,690.85. Tech Mahindra, Infosys, HCL Technologies, TCS, and Wipro were the five major losers in the Nifty 50. The global markets are assessing the signing of the US-Iran peace deal. Crude oil prices continuing below $80 a barrel, along with hawkish Fed signals, are also impacting sentiment. Following this, the GIFT Nifty is indicating a positive start for Indian markets, up 15 points or 0.06%. Earlier on Thursday, the Nifty 50 closed the session 82.30 points or 0.34% higher at 24,168, while the BSE Sensex advanced 254.36 points or 0.33% to close at 77,405. Asia-Pacific markets opened on a higher note as investors assess the US-Iran peace deal. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 opened higher, advancing 0.6% after hitting a record high on Thursday, while the Topix was flat. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.8% after crossing the 9,000 mark for the first time yesterday, while the small-cap Kosdaq slid 0.39%. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets are closed for a holiday. On Thursday, the US equity markets staged a comeback after the US Fed FOMC results of keeping rates steady, but indicated a rate hike in 2026. The S&P 500 added 1.08%, closing at 7,500.58, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.91% to 26,517.93. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 72.15 points, or 0.14%, to end at 51,564.70. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 0.77% to trade at $76.01 per barrel. On the other hand, Brent crude futures with August delivery continue to trade below the psychologically important level of $80. On COMEX, crude prices dropped 0.77% to trade at $76.01 a barrel. On COMEX, the precious metal was trading at Rs 4,204.90 an ounce, down 0.97%. The rate for 24-carat gold today is Rs 1,49,390 per 10 grams. The price of gold has declined 2.93% from yesterday. The 24 kt gold rate today in Delhi is Rs 1,49,130 per 10 grams. The 18-carat gold price today in India is Rs 1,12,042.5. The 24-carat gold rate in Dubai today is Rs 1,49,590. Spot silver prices are down 2%. In India, the silver rate dipped 5.72% to Rs 2.38 lakh per kilogram. On COMEX, Silver prices traded 1.68% lower at $65.20 per troy ounce. Silver had surged to record highs in January amid geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, with heavy speculative buying pushing prices higher, but soon faced volatility. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers of shares worth Rs 1,025.20 crore. On the other hand, the Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were the net buyers of shares worth Rs 3,516.81 crore on June 18, 2026, according to the provisional data available on the NSE. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was trading 0.04% lower at 100.79. The index evaluates the strength or weakness of the US dollar in comparison to major currencies. The basket contains currencies such as the British Pound, Euro, Swedish Krona, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, etc. The rupee appreciated 0.22% to close at 94.33 to the dollar on June 18. The Textiles sector’s stocks surged the most in Thursday’s trade, rising 5.8% in market capitalisation. Further, Asset Management Companies (AMCs) stocks were followed by the Leather sector stocks, which were further followed by the Electronics sector stocks. However, the Beverages – Non-Alcoholic sector stocks fell the most, dropping 2.3%.