Indian equities may start Wednesday’s session on a muted note as early cues from GIFT Nifty indicate a soft opening at 24,974, down 0.15%. Market direction is likely to take shape from overnight US trends, crude oil movement, and currency action. Sectors such as metals, infrastructure, and IT could be in focus during the initial hours of trade.
In the previous day’s trading, Indian equity benchmarks closed higher, with the Nifty inching closer to the 25,000 mark. The Sensex gained 370.64 points, or 0.46%, to settle at 81,644.39, while the Nifty added 103.70 points, or 0.42%, to finish the day at 24,980.65.
Key global and domestic cues to know on August 20, 2025
Asian Markets
Asian markets opened weak on Wednesday, with major indices across the region slipping into the red. Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 0.93%, while the broader Topix was down 0.31%. In South Korea, the Kospi slipped 1.52% and the tech-heavy Kosdaq fell 1.77%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also began the session lower, edging down 0.24%.
US markets
US markets ended mixed. The S&P 500 slipped 0.59% to close at 6,411.37, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite tumbled 1.46% to 21,314.95. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 10.45 points, or 0.02%, to finish at 44,922.27, even hitting a fresh record high during the session.
Crude Oil
Oil prices saw a slight uptick in early Wednesday trade, with US benchmark WTI crude rising 0.43% to $62 a barrel, while global benchmark Brent crude edged up 0.30% to $65.99 a barrel.
FII, DII data
Foreign investors turned sellers once again on Tuesday, pulling out Rs 634 crore from Indian equities. In contrast, domestic institutional investors stepped in with strong buying support, making net purchases of Rs 2,261 crore, provisional exchange data showed.
Gold rate today
Gold prices were lower in early Wednesday’s trade. As per Goodreturns, today, 10 grams of 24-carat gold rate today is Rs 1,00,740, while 22-carat gold costs Rs 92,340. For those preferring 18-carat gold, the price is Rs 75,550 for the same weight.
Top sectors in Tuesday’s trade
On Tuesday, sectoral trends shaped much of the market action, with aquaculture names leading the charge after a sharp 8% rise. Plastics followed with gains of 3%, while auto ancillaries also added 3%. Infrastructure stocks, too, saw steady buying interest with a 2.6% uptick, and sugar counters closed the day higher by 2%.
Best and worst performing business groups
In the previous day’s trading session, Indiabulls Group gained the most with a 5.4% jump, followed by Anil Ambani group companies that added 5%. Jaypee Group also advanced 4.2%, while Garware and Aarti Groups ended higher by 3.2% and 2.9%, respectively. On the losing side, Muthoot Group slipped 0.8%, Patodia fell 1.2%, Manipal declined 1.9%, and Nagarjuna Group was the biggest drag with a 3.9% cut during intraday trade.