The GIFT Nifty opened Thursday’s session at 25,860, down 0.10%. Investors are tracking global cues, including trends in Asian and US markets, currency movements, and commodity prices.
Indian equity indices ended lower, with the Nifty closing below 25,900. The Sensex dropped 120.21 points, or 0.14 percent, to 84,559.65, while the Nifty fell 41.55 points, or 0.16 percent, to 25,818.55 on December 17.
Key global and domestic cues on December 18, 2025
SEBI approves key regulatory changes
SEBI has cleared a set of reforms to simplify rules across capital markets. The changes cover mutual funds, stock brokers, IPO disclosures and lock-in norms, steps to boost the debt market, and easier issuance and conversion of physical shares. The regulator also allowed credit rating agencies to rate products under other regulators and raised the HVDLE threshold to Rs 5,000 crore to reduce compliance pressure.
Asian Markets
Asian markets opened on a weak note. The Nikkei 225 fell 1.53% at the open, while the broader Topix index declined 0.57%. South Korean equities also traded lower, with the Kospi slipping 1.36% and the small-cap Kosdaq down 1.13%. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 index edged down 0.3% in early trade.
US markets
On December 17, US markets closed in the red across the board. The Nasdaq Composite led the losses, falling 1.81%, followed by the S&P 500, which dropped 1.16%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.47%.
Rupee
The Indian rupee paused its recent decline in the previous trading session, closing at 90.38 against the US Dollar, up 0.74 percent. This was the currency’s strongest single-day gain since October 15, largely driven by heavy intervention from the Reserve Bank of India.
US dollar
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was 0.01% down at 98.39 on Thursday morning. 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.
Crude Oil
Crude oil prices were mixed in early trade on Thursday. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate edged down 0.02% to $56.96 a barrel, while Brent crude climbed 1.54% to $60.66 a barrel.
FII
Foreign Institutional Investors were net sellers of Indian equities worth Rs 1,172 crore, while Domestic Institutional Investors bought shares worth Rs 769 crore, according to exchange data on Wednesday, December 17.
Gold rate today
Gold prices in India edged higher. On the MCX, February 5, 2026 gold futures were trading at Rs 1,34,880 per 10 grams in the latest update.
In the international market, gold was trading at $4,359.50 per ounce.
Top sectors in last trading session
Among sectoral indices, non-ferrous metals rose 1.26%, while the tea and coffee sector gained 1%. The mining sector was up 0.25%, and the broader energy sector saw a modest increase of 0.23%.
Best and worst performing business group in last trading session
Among corporate groups, Anil Ambani Group led the gains with a 3.86% rise, followed by BK Birla Group at 2.08% and Wadia Group at 1.65%. On the other hand, Patodia Group declined 2.49%, Adventz Group fell 2.6%, and Indiabulls Group dropped 2.93%.
