Stock Market Today (21 August 2026): Sensex Ends Flat, Nifty Holds Above 24,250 as Metal and Private Banks Support Market

The Indian stock market ended almost flat on 21 August 2026, with benchmark indices extending gains for the second consecutive session but failing to build on the strong rebound seen on 20 August.

The BSE Sensex gained just 3.11 points, or 0.00%, to close at 77,540.83. The Nifty 50 advanced 20.15 points, or 0.08%, to settle at 24,252.00.

The session remained range-bound, with the Nifty moving between an intraday high of approximately 24,284 and a low near 24,206.

The market struggled to extend the previous day's recovery as elevated crude oil prices, higher global bond yields and continuing uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran situation kept investors cautious.

Despite the flat headline indices, the broader market performed better. The Nifty Midcap 100 gained around 0.10%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 advanced approximately 0.69%.

The market also ended the week on a weaker note overall. For the week, the Nifty 50 declined around 0.50%, while the Sensex fell approximately 0.60%, marking the second consecutive weekly decline for both benchmark indices.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀

• Sensex closed at 77,540.83, up 3.11 points.
• Nifty 50 ended at 24,252.00, up 20.15 points.
• Nifty gained around 0.08%.
• Sensex remained almost flat.
• Nifty extended gains for the second consecutive session.
• The session remained largely range-bound.
• Nifty touched an intraday high near 24,284.
• Nifty touched an intraday low near 24,206.
• Nifty Midcap 100 gained around 0.10%.
• Nifty Smallcap 100 gained around 0.69%.
• Nifty Metal gained around 0.86%.
• Nifty Private Bank gained around 0.46%.
• Nifty Realty gained around 0.40%.
• Nifty FMCG declined around 0.74%.
• Nifty Auto declined around 0.60%.
• Nifty IT declined around 0.46%.
• FIIs were net sellers of around ₹542.71 crore.
• DIIs were net buyers of around ₹2,124.14 crore.
• Rupee closed around ₹95.69 per US dollar.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘁?

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗢𝗶𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀

Crude oil remained one of the biggest concerns for Indian investors.

Brent crude remained elevated after rising sharply during the previous sessions as uncertainty surrounding the Middle East conflict increased concerns about potential supply disruptions.

Higher oil prices are negative for India because the country depends heavily on imported crude.

Expensive oil can increase India's import bill, put pressure on the rupee and create additional inflationary risks.

Reuters reported that oil prices had gained more than 5% during the week, keeping pressure on the Indian currency and equity markets.

𝗨𝗦-𝗜𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Geopolitical uncertainty continued to limit risk appetite.

Investors remained concerned about the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Iran and the potential impact on energy supplies.

The Strait of Hormuz remained an important market focus because of its importance to global oil transportation.

Uncertainty around the region encouraged investors to maintain a cautious approach rather than aggressively increase equity exposure.

𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀

Rising global bond yields also weighed on investor sentiment.

Higher yields can reduce the relative attractiveness of emerging-market equities and increase concerns about global financial conditions.

The combination of elevated oil prices and rising bond yields created a difficult environment for Indian equities.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆

The Nifty had gained more than 150 points on 20 August after ending a seven-session losing streak.

Following that sharp rebound, some investors preferred to book profits, preventing the index from extending its recovery significantly.

As a result, the Nifty remained in a narrow range throughout most of the session.

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀

𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘀

Metal stocks were among the strongest performers of the session.

The Nifty Metal index gained around 0.86%, making it the best-performing major sectoral index.

Buying interest in selected metal companies provided support to the broader market.

𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀

Private banking stocks also performed well.

The Nifty Private Bank index gained around 0.46%.

Kotak Mahindra Bank and ICICI Bank were among the financial stocks that supported the benchmark indices.

Private banks had also been relatively strong during the week, with the sector gaining around 1.3% for the week.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆

The Nifty Realty index gained around 0.40%.

Realty stocks remained resilient despite the broader market's cautious tone and provided additional support to the benchmark indices.

𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Selected defence stocks also attracted buying interest.

Bharat Electronics was among the top Nifty gainers, highlighting continued investor interest in defence-related counters.

𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀

𝗙𝗠𝗖𝗚

FMCG stocks were among the biggest sectoral drags.

The Nifty FMCG index declined around 0.74%.

Selling in selected consumer stocks weighed on the sector.

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼

The Nifty Auto index declined around 0.60%.

Maruti Suzuki and other auto stocks faced selling pressure during the session.

Auto was one of the weaker sectors even though the broader market remained relatively stable.

𝗜𝗧

IT stocks also remained under pressure.

The Nifty IT index declined around 0.46%.

Infosys and HCL Technologies were among the notable large-cap IT stocks that declined.

The IT sector had already fallen significantly during the week, with Reuters noting a weekly decline of around 2.6%.

𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮

Media stocks also declined, with the sector falling around 0.54%.

The sector gave back part of the previous session's gains.

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗚𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀

The major Nifty gainers included:

• Power Grid Corporation
• HDFC Life
• Kotak Mahindra Bank
• Nestle India
• Bharat Electronics

Power Grid Corporation emerged as the strongest Nifty 50 performer, gaining around 2.87%.

HDFC Life advanced around 2.36%, while Kotak Mahindra Bank gained around 1.37%.

Nestle India and Bharat Electronics were also among the notable gainers.

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀

The major Nifty losers included:

• Maruti Suzuki
• Trent
• HCL Technologies
• InterGlobe Aviation
• ONGC

Maruti Suzuki declined around 1.77%.

Trent fell around 1.55%, while HCL Technologies declined around 1.21%.

InterGlobe Aviation and ONGC also remained under pressure.

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀

𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗱

Power Grid was the strongest Nifty 50 stock on 21 August.

The stock gained around 2.87%, benefiting from strong buying interest in power and utility stocks.

Its performance helped support the benchmark indices during an otherwise subdued session.

𝗛𝗗𝗙𝗖 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲

HDFC Life gained around 2.36% and was among the top Nifty performers.

The strength in the stock reflected buying interest in the insurance and financial-services segment.

𝗞𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸

Kotak Mahindra Bank gained around 1.37%.

The stock was supported by strength in private-sector banking stocks, with the broader Private Bank index also outperforming the market.

𝗕𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀

Bharat Electronics gained around 1.12% and remained among the notable Nifty gainers.

The stock's strength highlighted continued interest in selected defence counters.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗶 𝗦𝘂𝘇𝘂𝗸𝗶

Maruti Suzuki was among the biggest Nifty losers.

The stock declined around 1.77% and remained under pressure during the session.

The weakness in Maruti contributed to the underperformance of the Auto sector.

𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁

Trent declined around 1.55% and was among the major Nifty laggards.

The stock remained under pressure even though the broader market was relatively stable.

𝗛𝗖𝗟 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀

HCL Technologies declined around 1.21%.

The stock gave back part of the previous session's IT-sector recovery as investors remained cautious about global technology demand and the broader IT outlook.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗲 𝗔𝘃𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

InterGlobe Aviation declined around 1.06%.

The stock was among the major Nifty losers during the session.

𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗖

ONGC declined around 0.88%.

The weakness came despite elevated crude prices, as investors remained cautious about the broader energy-sector outlook.

𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

The broader market outperformed the benchmark indices.

The Nifty Midcap 100 gained around 0.10%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 advanced approximately 0.69%.

The stronger performance of small-cap stocks indicated that investors continued to find opportunities outside the large-cap benchmark stocks.

However, market breadth remained mixed to negative, with declining stocks still outnumbering advancing stocks on the broader exchange.

The relative strength of smaller companies was notable because the frontline indices remained almost unchanged.

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆

Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers on 21 August.

FIIs sold approximately ₹542.71 crore worth of Indian equities on a net basis.

Domestic institutional investors, however, remained strong buyers.

DIIs purchased approximately ₹2,124.14 crore on a net basis.

Therefore, domestic institutional buying continued to provide a cushion to the Indian equity market even as foreign investors remained cautious.

The combined institutional flow was approximately ₹1,581 crore of net buying when FII and DII flows are considered together.

𝗥𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗢𝗶𝗹

The Indian rupee remained relatively stable despite pressure from higher crude oil prices.

The rupee closed around ₹95.69 per US dollar on 21 August.

It remained close to the important ₹96 per dollar level as the Reserve Bank of India continued to intervene in the foreign-exchange market to limit excessive volatility.

The rupee declined around 0.3% during the week, mainly because crude oil prices rose by more than 5% amid concerns about potential supply disruptions related to the Iran conflict.

The RBI's intervention helped prevent the rupee from weakening beyond the ₹96 level.

Higher crude prices remained a major risk for India's inflation and external balance because India imports a large share of its crude oil requirements.

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

Despite the recovery during Thursday and Friday, the Indian market ended the week lower.

The Nifty 50 declined around 0.50% for the week, while the Sensex fell around 0.60%.

This marked the second consecutive weekly decline for both benchmark indices.

The weekly performance showed that the market remained under pressure despite the two-session recovery.

Most major sectors also ended the week lower.

Private banks were among the stronger segments, while IT stocks remained weak.

The IT sector declined around 2.6% for the week, while Private Banks gained approximately 1.3%.

𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸

The Nifty closed at 24,252, holding above the important 24,200 level.

The immediate support zone remains around 24,200–24,150.

The next major support is near 24,000.

On the upside, 24,300 is the first important resistance level.

A sustained move above 24,300 could improve short-term sentiment and potentially take the Nifty towards 24,400–24,500.

However, failure to hold 24,200 could bring selling pressure back towards 24,100–24,000.

The market's inability to extend Thursday's strong rally indicates that traders remain cautious and are waiting for stronger global and domestic triggers.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁

Investors will closely monitor:

• Nifty's ability to hold above 24,200
• Crude oil prices
• Brent crude around the $90–93 zone
• US-Iran geopolitical developments
• Strait of Hormuz developments
• US Treasury bond yields
• Rupee movement around ₹96 per dollar
• FII selling and DII buying
• IT sector performance
• Private Bank performance
• Metal stocks
• Auto and FMCG sector weakness
• Global equity market cues

𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸

The short-term market outlook remains cautious and range-bound.

The Nifty has recovered from the 24,000 area and closed above 24,200 for the second consecutive session, but the lack of strong follow-through buying suggests that investors remain cautious.

Elevated crude oil prices, geopolitical uncertainty and higher global bond yields continue to pose risks.

At the same time, strong DII buying and relative strength in Private Banks, Metals and Realty indicate that domestic investors are still finding opportunities in selected sectors.

Long-term investors should continue focusing on fundamentally strong companies rather than reacting to daily market volatility.

Short-term traders should monitor the 24,200 support and 24,300 resistance levels closely and maintain disciplined risk management.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁?

If the Nifty sustains above 24,300, the recovery could extend towards 24,400–24,500.

Positive global cues, lower crude prices and easing bond yields could provide additional support to the market.

On the other hand, a break below 24,200 could weaken the recovery and bring 24,100–24,000 into focus.

If crude oil remains elevated and US-Iran tensions continue, investors may continue to prefer selective buying rather than aggressive positioning.

The performance of Private Banks, Metals, IT, Auto and FMCG stocks will remain important for determining the next market direction.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

The Indian stock market ended almost flat on 21 August 2026, with the Sensex gaining just 3.11 points and the Nifty rising 20.15 points.

The Sensex closed at 77,540.83, while the Nifty settled at 24,252.00.

The market extended gains for the second consecutive session after the sharp rebound on 20 August, but buying momentum remained limited due to elevated crude oil prices, higher global bond yields and continued uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran conflict.

Metal, Private Bank and Realty stocks were among the stronger sectors, while FMCG, Auto and IT remained under pressure. The Nifty Metal index gained around 0.86%, Private Banks rose around 0.46% and Realty gained around 0.40%.

Power Grid, HDFC Life, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Nestle India and Bharat Electronics were among the major gainers, while Maruti Suzuki, Trent, HCL Technologies, InterGlobe Aviation and ONGC were among the notable losers.

Institutional flows remained mixed, with FIIs recording net selling of around ₹542.71 crore, while DIIs recorded net buying of approximately ₹2,124.14 crore.

The rupee closed around ₹95.69 per US dollar, while elevated oil prices remained a key risk for the Indian economy and markets.

For the week, the Nifty declined around 0.50% and the Sensex fell around 0.60%, marking the second consecutive weekly decline.

Going forward, Nifty's 24,200–24,300 range, crude oil prices, global bond yields, geopolitical developments and institutional flows are expected to remain the key factors determining the market's next direction.