Indian equity indices are expected to open on a muted note following mixed global cues. The GIFT Nifty was trading flat at 25,080. Here are key global cues to watch before the market opens that include new crude oil prices, FII and DII data, business groups that most affect, sectoral performance, etc.
Earlier on Wednesday, the NSE Nifty 50 closed the session 70 points or 0.28% higher at 25,050, while the BSE Sensex rose 213 points or 0.26% to close at 81,858.
Key global and domestic cues to know on August 21, 2025
Asian Markets
Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher on Thursday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.21% in early trade, while the broader Topix index ticked down 0.4%. In South Korea, the Kospi index rose 0.81%, while the small-cap Kosdaq increased by 0.62%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index is likely to open flat with futures tied to the index at 25,168.
US markets
The key US indices closed the session overnight in the red on Wednesday as investors assessed mixed retail earnings results and the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes release. The S&P 500 index slipped 0.24% to close at 6,395.78, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.67% and settled at 21,172.86. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the outlier, adding 16.04 points, or 0.04%, and settling at 44,938.31.
US dollar
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was trading 0.03% higher at 98.29 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. The rupee depreciated 0.13% to close at 87.07 to the dollar on August 20.
Crude oil
The crude oil prices traded on a higher note on Thursday morning. WTI crude prices were trading at $62.87, up by 0.26%, while Brent crude prices were trading at $66.95, up by 0.16%.
FII, DII data
Foreign institutional investors (FII) were the net sellers of shares worth Rs 1,038.51 crore. On the other hand, the Domestic institutional investors (DII) were the net buyers of shares worth Rs 1,686.15 crore on August 20, 2024, according to the provisional data available on the NSE.
Gold rate today
The rate for 24-carat gold today is Rs 99,510 per 10 grams, near its all-time high. The safe haven’s price is trading below the Rs 1 lakh mark. The price of gold has fallen by 0.85% over the past one week. The 22 kt gold rate today is Rs 91,218 per 10 grams. The 18-carat gold price today is Rs 74,633.
Best and worst performing business groups
The Anil Ambani Group’s market cap increased the most in today’s session, rising 5%. It was followed by the Emami Group. Apart from that, the Muthoot Group’s market capitalisation was erased the most, falling 2.2%. In the list of Muthoot Group stocks, Muthoot Finance’s share corrected 2.2%.