Sensex, Nifty 50 today at open: Indian equity markets opened Friday’s trade on a lower note. The Nifty 50 opened 189.40 points or 0.79% lower at 23,680, while the BSE Sensex dropped 363.66 points or 0.47% to open at 76,391.39.
Stock market today ahead at pre-open: Indian benchmark indices are likely to begin Friday’s trading session on a weak note as investors react to fresh geopolitical developments and rising uncertainty in global markets.
While GIFT Nifty was trading lower in early trade, market participants will also closely monitor Asian market performance, crude oil prices, gold and silver rates, foreign institutional investor (FII) activity, currency movements and the ongoing June quarter (Q1FY27) earnings season, all of which could influence trading through the day.
At this hour, GIFT Nifty was trading at 23,675, down 187.50 points or 0.79%, indicating a subdued start for Dalal Street.
Indian markets ended lower in the previous session
Domestic equity benchmarks closed Thursday’s session in negative territory after renewed geopolitical tension in West Asia pushed crude oil prices sharply higher.
The Sensex declined 363.66 points or 0.47% to settle at 76,391.39, while the Nifty 50 slipped 126.65 points or 0.53% to close at 23,869.60.
Key global and domestic cues for July 24, 2026
Asian markets remain under pressure
Asian equities were trading lower during early Friday trade.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.2%, while the Topix declined 1%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 1.8%, and the Kosdaq slipped 2.17%. Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was also lower by 0.47%.
US futures
Dow Jones futures were marginally lower by around six points, while S&P 500 futures gained 0.1% and Nasdaq-100 futures advanced 0.2%.
US markets
In the previous session, Wall Street saw broad-based selling. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 506.93 points or 0.97% to close at 51,711.65. The S&P 500 lost 1.21%, ending at 7,408.30, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 2.15% to 25,137.69.
Crude oil remains a major market trigger
Crude oil prices will remain one of the biggest factors for investors today.
Although prices eased slightly during Friday’s early session, Brent crude was still trading near $100.51 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was around $92.13 per barrel.
In Thursday’s session, Brent crude surged nearly 7% to cross the $100 per barrel mark, while WTI crude gained about 6% after reports that two Saudi oil tankers were struck in the Red Sea.
Rising oil prices remain an important concern for markets as they can increase inflationary pressures and impact fuel-importing economies like India.
Gold and silver stay in focus
Precious metals also remained on investors’ radar.
In the international market, spot gold was trading near $4,052.50 per ounce. On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold futures for the August contract were trading around Rs 1,42,796 per 10 grams.
In the domestic market, 24-carat gold was priced at Rs 14,617 per gram, while 22-carat gold rate today stood at Rs 13,399 per gram and 18-carat gold at Rs 10,963 per gram.
Meanwhile, MCX silver futures for the September contract were trading around Rs 2,27,180 per kilogram. Retail silver prices in India stood at Rs 239.90 per gram and Rs 2,39,900 per kilogram.
FIIs continue selling, DIIs step in
According to provisional exchange data, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)/Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) sold Indian equities worth Rs 2,999.23 crore.
At the same time, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased shares worth Rs 2,947.14 crore.
Dollar and rupee movement
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the US dollar against a basket of major global currencies, was trading around 101.42 in early trade.
The Indian rupee remained largely stable in the previous session. The USD/INR pair settled at 96.57, marginally lower by 0.01%.
Top sectors from the previous session
Even though the benchmark indices ended lower on Thursday, a few sectors managed to remain in positive territory.
The Petrochemicals sector emerged as the top performer with a 2.31% gain. It was followed by Tea & Coffee, which rose 0.85%, while the Aluminium sector added 0.75%. The Automobile sector also ended higher, gaining 0.52%.
