Markets at close: The market ended on a weak note, with the Sensex closing at 78,516.49, down 756.84 points or 0.95%, while the Nifty settled at 24,378.10, lower by 198.50 points or 0.81%.
The key laggards in today’s trade include HCL Tech down 10%, Infosys, M&M, TCS among other stocks.
Sensex, Nifty at 1:30 PM:In the afternoon trade, the Indian benchmark indices remained under pressure, with the Sensex falling 696.87 points, or 0.88%, to 78,576.46, while the Nifty declined 176.10 points, or 0.72%, to 24,400.50.
Sensex, Nifty at 11:30 AM: Indian indices came off from the day’s lows. The Nifty was trading 137 points or 0.56% lower at 24,439, while the BSE Sensex was down 551 points or 0.70% to trade at 78,722.
Sensex, Nifty at 10:00 AM: In early trade, the markets are under pressure, with the Sensex slipping 749.44 points, or 0.95%, to 78,523.89, while the Nifty also declined 198.45 points, or 0.81%, to 24,378.15.
At this hour, the key losers include HCL Tech down 9%, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, and TCS, among other stocks.
Share market today at open: Indian equity indices opened Wednesday’s trade on a lower note. The Nifty 50 opened 120 points or 0.49% lower at 24,455, while the BSE Sensex dropped 475 points or 0.60% to open at 78,797.
HCL Technologies is the major loser, declining 8% as soon as markets opened. It was followed by Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, ICICI Bank, and many others.
Share market today ahead of opening: The global markets are muted in early trade. US President Trump extends the ceasefire, but investors are cautious that the conflict may drag on further. Following this, the GIFT Nifty is indicating a negative start in early trade, dropping 155 points or 0.63% to 24,420.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Nifty 50 closed the session 212 points or 0.87% higher at 24,576, while the Sensex rose 753 points or 0.96% to close at 79,273.
Key global and domestic cues on April 22, 2026
US extends ceasefire
The US has announced to extend the ceasefire till Iran doesn’t come up with proposals. In a social media post, Trump said that the US will halt attacking Iran as it has suffered serious damage.
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Asian Markets
The Asian indices on Wednesday morning opened on a mixed note as concerns grew that the West Asia conflict could drag on, despite the ceasefire. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up 0.14%, while the Topix lost 0.67%. South Korea’s Kospi inched 0.16% higher after reaching a record high on Tuesday, while the small-cap Kosdaq slipped 0.42%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 26,221, compared with the index’s last close of 26,487.48.
US markets
The futures tied to the US equity benchmarks edged higher on Tuesday night after President Donald Trump extended the US ceasefire in Iran. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures both added 0.4%. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 190 points, or 0.4%.
Also, the US markets closed Tuesday’s trade on a lower note. The S&P 500 ended down 0.63% at 7,064.01, while the Nasdaq Composite settled 0.59% lower at 24,259.96. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 293.18 points, or 0.59%, to finish at 49,149.38.
Crude oil
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped 0.15% to trade at $89.53 per barrel. Brent crude futures traded 0.08% lower at $98.45 today morning. On COMEX, crude prices declined 0.33% to trade at $89.37 a barrel.
Gold rate today
The rate for 24-carat gold today is Rs 1,51,750 per 10 grams. The price of gold has fallen by 1.42% from yesterday. The 24 kt gold rate today in Delhi is Rs 1,51,490 per 10 grams. The 18-carat gold price today in India is Rs 1,13,812.5. On COMEX, the precious metal was trading at a price of Rs 4,762.50 an ounce, rising 0.91%.
Silver rate today
In India, the silver rate fell 3.02% at Rs 2.45 lakh per kilogram. On COMEX, Silver prices dropped 1.51% on Wednesday to trade at $77.64 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.
FII, DII data
Foreign institutional investors (FII) were the net sellers of shares worth Rs 1,770.66 crore. On the other hand, the Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were the net buyers of shares worth Rs 2,064.72 crore on April 21, 2026, according to the provisional data available on the NSE.
US dollar
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was down 0.06% at 98.33. 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 0.39% to close at 93.49 to the dollar on April 21.
Top sectors in Tuesday’s trade
The Food Processing sector’s stocks rose the most in Tuesday’s trade, rising 4.6% in market capitalisation. Further, Small Finance stocks were followed by the Beverages – Alcoholic sector stocks, which were further followed by the Asset Management Companies stocks. However, the Cables sector stocks fell the most, declining 1.15%.
Best and worst performing business groups
The ICICI Group’s market cap rose the most in Tuesday’s session, rising 2.4%. It was followed by the Adventz Group. In the list of Muthoot Group stocks, Muthoot Finance’s share surged 2.2%. Apart from that, Indiabulls Group’s market capitalisation fell the most, falling 3.7%.