GIFT Nifty:

GIFT Nifty August 2025 futures were currently trading 56.50 points (or 0.23%) lower, suggesting that the Nifty 50 could open mildly in the red today.

Institutional Flows:

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 550.85 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 4,103.81 crore in the Indian equity market on 18 August 2025, provisional data showed.

According to public data, FPIs have sold shares worth Rs 23,640.66 crore in the cash market during August 2025. This follows their cash sales of shares worth Rs 47,666.68 crore in July 2025.

Global Markets:

Markets in Asia mostly traded lower on Tuesday as traders evaluated talks between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House, aimed at stopping the Moscow-Kyiv conflict.

European equity futures posted modest gains after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said security guarantees for his nation will likely be worked out within 10 days after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders.

In a social media post late on Monday, Trump said he had called Putin and begun arranging a meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy, to be followed by a trilateral summit among the three Presidents.

Investors are also closely watching the Fed's Jackson Hole, Wyoming, conference between August 21 and 23, where Fed Chair Jerome Powell is expected to speak, could offer more clarity on the economic outlook and the central bank's policy framework.

Overnight stateside, all three key benchmarks ended the day near the flatline.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 34.30 points, or 0.08%, to close at 44,911.82. The S&P 500 closed down 0.01% and ended at 6,449.15, while the Nasdaq Composite inched up 0.03% to settle at 21,629.77.

Data on Friday showed that while retail sales were increasing broadly as anticipated, consumer sentiment overall had taken a hit from mounting inflation fears. On Monday, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell to the lowest reading since December 2022.

Domestic Market:

Domestic equity benchmarks surged on Monday, marking their third consecutive day of gains, as optimism over potential GST reforms and easing concerns on Russian oil supplies lifted investor sentiment.

The Nifty closed above the 24,850 mark, supported by strong buying in autos, banks and consumer durables. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address, announced that the government is planning to roll out generational GST reforms before Diwali, a move seen as a major sentiment booster for the market.

Adding to the cheer, the recent U.S.-Russia meeting concluded without fresh tensions, helping calm fears over disruptions in global oil supplies.

Sectorally, automobiles led the rally as investors bet on the segment benefiting from tax rationalisation. Analysts noted that consumption-led sectors could also gather momentum in the second half of FY26 on the back of demand revival.

The upbeat mood was further bolstered by India's recent credit rating upgrade, which reinforced confidence in the country's economic prospects.

The S&P BSE Sensex jumped 676.09 points or 0.84% to 81,273.75. The Nifty 50 index surged 245.65 points or 1% to 24,876.95. The 50-unit index is up 1.59% in three days.

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