The Nifty settled below the 24,400 level, while sentiment remained subdued amid a lack of strong directional cues. Investors will monitor the movements in crude oil and gold prices, along with developments on the global geopolitical front, for further indications on the market's near-term trajectory.

Pharma, metal and auto shares declined while media and consumer durables shares advanced.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex shed 70.71 points or 0.09% to 78,009.25. The Nifty 50 index fell 29.85 points or 0.12% to 24,366.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index declined 0.23% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index dropped 0.43%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,952 shares rose and 2,322 shares fell. A total of 245 shares were unchanged.

Economy:

India's wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation eased marginally to 9.78% year on year in July 2026 from 9.87% in June 2026, indicating that wholesale price pressures remained elevated during the month. Inflation in Primary Articles rose to 8.52% in July from 7% in June, while inflation in Fuel & Power moderated sharply to 20.05% from 27.41%. Inflation in Manufactured Products increased to 8.29% in July from 7.48% in the previous month.

Among major groups, mineral oils (containing petroleum products), food articles, manufacture of basic metals, non-food articles, manufacture of food products, and manufacture of chemicals and chemical products were the key contributors to WPI inflation during July 2026.

Monsoon Session of Parliament Ends:

The Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded on 13 August 2026 after 19 sittings spread over 25 days, with both Houses passing 12 Bills. Key legislation included Bills on public examinations, MSMEs, taxation, tribunals, banking records, mining and the renaming of Kerala as Keralam. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill was referred to a Joint Committee for further scrutiny. The session was marked by repeated disruptions, with Lok Sabha recording approximately 19% productivity and Rajya Sabha around 39%.

IPO Update:

Shiprocket received bids for 808,96,16,612 shares as against 9,44,36,030 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 15:30 IST on 14 August 2026. The issue was subscribed 85.66 times.

The issue opened for bidding on 12 August 2026 and will close on 14 August 2026. The price band of the IPO is fixed between Rs 92 and 97 per share. An investor can bid for a minimum of 154 equity shares and multiples thereof.

Behari Lal Engineering received bids 66,30,65,988 shares as against 74,12,769 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 15:30 IST on 14 August 2026. The issue was subscribed 89.45 times.

The issue opened for bidding on 12 August 2026 and will close on 14 August 2026. The price band of the IPO is fixed between Rs 271 and 285 per share. An investor can bid for a minimum of 52 equity shares and multiples thereof.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Pharma Index declined 0.90% to 26,445.55. The index fell 1.18% in the two consecutive trading sessions.

Ipca Laboratories (down 3.47%), Laurus Labs (down 3.45%), Zydus Lifesciences (down 2.61%), Piramal Pharma (down 2.46%), Alkem Laboratories (down 2.28%), Aurobindo Pharma (down 2.26%), Abbott India (down 1.96%), Torrent Pharmaceuticals (down 1.37%), Biocon (down 1.23%) and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (down 0.78%) declined.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (PV) dropped 3.98% after the company reported a sharp 80.25% decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 775 crore in Q1 FY27 compared with Rs 3,924 crore posted in Q1 FY26. Revenue from operations increased 9.26% YoY to Rs 95,799 crore in the quarter ended 30th June 2026.

KMC Speciality Hospitals (India) jumped 7.82% after the company reported a net profit of Rs 16.57 crore for Q1 FY27, which is 119.9% higher as compared with the PAT figure of Rs 7.53 crore recorded in Q1 FY26. Net sales jumped 37.91% YoY to Rs 91.78 crore in Q1 FY27.

Honasa Consumer rallied 4.86% after the company reported strong financial performance for Q1 FY27. On a consolidated basis, profit after tax increased 116.5% YoY and 30.3% QoQ to Rs 90 crore in Q1 FY27. Revenue from operations increased 27% YoY and 15% QoQ to Rs 756 crore.

Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF) shed 0.80%. The company reported a 35% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 73.53 crore in Q1 FY27, compared with Rs 54.43 crore in Q1 FY26. Revenue from operations rose 6.38% year on year (YoY) to Rs 3585.71 crore during the quarter ended 30 June 2026.

Praj Industries rallied 4.31% after the company reported a sharp 117.64% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 11.60 crore in Q1 FY27 from Rs 5.33 crore in Q1 FY26. Revenue from operations increased 11.81% YoY to Rs 715.82 crore in Q1 FY27.

Jubilant FoodWorks added 2.07% after the company reported a resilient Q1 FY27 performance. On a consolidated basis, profit after tax increased 6.0% YoY and 21.4% QoQ to Rs 100 crore in Q1 FY27. Revenue from operations increased 14.1% YoY and 2.8% QoQ to Rs 2,569.7 crore.

Global Market:

European market advanced despite renewed U.S. threats against Iran and the prospect of a prolonged naval blockade against concerns over weakening global demand.

The second estimate from Eurostat confirmed that the Eurozone economy grew 0.4% quarter-on-quarter in Q2, following a flat reading in the first quarter. On a year-on-year basis, Eurozone GDP expanded 1% in Q2, accelerating from the 0.5% growth recorded in the previous quarter.

Most Asian markets ended higher on Friday, poised for their strongest week in two months as benign inflation data dented expectations of an imminent U.S. rate hike, although faltering talks to end the war in the Middle East are likely to keep risk sentiment in check.

Brent futures jumped over $87 after a drop on Thursday but were set for a 4% weekly gain, snapping a two-week losing streak, after the U.S. threatened to ramp up economic pressure on Iran, including extending a naval blockade.

Markets have so far shrugged off the lack of progress in ending the Iran war, instead focusing on the broad AI theme and the global monetary policy outlook.

U.S. inflation reports this week suggested pricing pressure remained under control, lowering the odds of a rate increase from the Federal Reserve next month.

Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 notched a record-high close on Thursday, fueled by advances in Sandisk and other heavyweight technology stocks.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.65% to end the session at 7,798.99 points, exceeding its record high close last Friday. The Nasdaq gained 0.81% to 26,803.03 points, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.13% to 53,839.99 points.

Memory chip makers Sandisk and Micron Technology surged 13.7% and 4.2%, respectively, while Microsoft added almost 1% and Meta Platforms rose 2.8%.

Strong earnings forecasts in recent weeks from companies, including Microsoft and Amazon, has reduced investors' concerns about massive spending on AI data centers.

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