Stock Market Open Report Today, September 15, 2026: Sensex, Nifty Gain as IT Rally Offsets Elevated Oil Prices

Mumbai, Sept 15:Indian benchmark indices gained on Tuesday even as oil prices extended their rise as Iran-aligned Houthis intensified strikes on Saudi Arabia. The Sensex and Nifty moved into positive territory in early trade, helped by a sharp rally in IT stocks that offset weakness in defence, realty and metals. The gains, however, sit against a fragile global backdrop of a Wall Street sell-off, a spike in US Treasury yields past 5 per cent, and an unresolved Middle East conflict threatening crude supply. 

Overnight, US markets buckled under a rare confluence of pressures: an AI industry slowdown warning that rattled chip stocks, oil prices spiking on Gulf tensions, and Treasury yields breaching a level not seen since 2023. Asian markets were mixed on Tuesday morning, with only Japan’s Nikkei and China’s Shanghai Composite managing gains while the rest of the region traded lower. That divergence underscores how unevenly the latest bout of risk aversion is being absorbed across markets. 

For India, early strength in IT stocks stood out against an otherwise cautious tape. Heavyweights TCS, Infosys, HCLTech and Tech Mahindra surged, tracking the sector’s outsized rally, while defence, realty and metal counters extended Friday’s weakness. With Brent above $107 a barrel and the Houthi offensive showing no signs of easing, traders said the market’s resilience could be tested as the week progresses. 

The moves come at a delicate juncture for global risk sentiment. A sudden AI-slowdown warning out of the US has already dented the technology trade that has anchored much of this year’s rally, and the added burden of a widening Gulf conflict leaves little room for complacency. Domestic investors will now watch whether the IT-led bounce can hold through the session, or whether renewed selling in metals, realty and defence drags the benchmarks back into negative territory. 

Sensex & Nifty 

The BSE Sensex was trading at 75,017.22, up 235.46 points or 0.31 per cent, as of 9:40 am IST on Tuesday. The Nifty 50 stood at 23,454.00, up 55.90 points or 0.24 per cent, at the same time, having opened near 23,576 and slipped to a low of 23,455.75 amid early volatility. Both benchmarks held on to gains despite mixed global cues, aided largely by the sharp rally in IT stocks. 

Gainers & Losers 

Among Nifty gainers, HCL Technologies (HCLTECH) led the pack, rising 6.71 per cent to a last traded price of Rs 1,287 from a previous close of Rs 1,206.10. Infosys (INFY) climbed 5.57 per cent to Rs 1,095.50 against a previous close of Rs 1,037.70. Tech Mahindra (TECHM) advanced 5.5 per cent to Rs 1,625.80 from Rs 1,541. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) gained 5.23 per cent to Rs 2,315.80 versus a previous close of Rs 2,200.80. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) rose 4.6 per cent to Rs 314.95 from Rs 301.10, rounding out the top five gainers, all riding the broader outperformance in IT stocks.  

On the losing side, Bharat Electronics (BEL) fell 2.04 per cent to Rs 396.10 from a previous close of Rs 404.35. Grasim Industries (GRASIM) declined 1.62 per cent to Rs 3,228.80 versus Rs 3,281.90. Titan Company (TITAN) slipped 1.51 per cent to Rs 4,934 from Rs 5,009.50. Larsen & Toubro (LT) dropped 1.42 per cent to Rs 3,875 against a previous close of Rs 3,930.70, while Kotak Mahindra Bank (KOTAKBANK) declined 1.35 per cent to Rs 413.35 from Rs 419, rounding out the top five losers. 

Broad Markets & Sectoral Performance 

Among broader market indices, the Nifty 50, Nifty 100 and Nifty India FPI 150 were the top gainers, up 0.26 per cent, 0.16 per cent and 0.12 per cent, respectively, while the Nifty Smallcap 100, Nifty Next 50 and Nifty Midcap 100 led the decliners, down 0.45 per cent, 0.32 per cent and 0.21 per cent. Sectorally, the Nifty IT index surged 5.17 per cent, tracking the outsized gains in index heavyweights, followed by the Nifty FMCG index, up 0.94 per cent, and the Nifty Auto index, up 0.15 per cent. On the downside, the Nifty India Defence index fell 1.89 per cent, the Nifty Realty index declined 0.90 per cent, and the Nifty Metal index slipped 0.71 per cent. 

Oil Prices 

Oil prices extended their advance amid the escalating Gulf conflict, with Brent crude up 1.44 per cent at $107.20 a barrel and WTI crude up 1.56 per cent at $102.97. Murban crude, more closely tied to Gulf supply routes, jumped 6.95 per cent to $127.76, reflecting acute concern over the Saudi pipeline outage. The OPEC Basket rose 2.35 per cent to $114.89, its highest level in recent sessions. Crude has now gained roughly 9 per cent over the past week, as the Houthi offensive and a prolonged shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s east-west pipeline threaten to remove a meaningful share of global supply. 

Asian & US Markets 

Asian markets were mixed on Tuesday morning, with only Japan’s Nikkei 225 and China’s Shanghai Composite managing to hold gains. The Nikkei rose 0.93 per cent to 64,082.36, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.14 per cent to 3,890.84. Elsewhere in the region, Australia’s All Ordinaries fell 0.86 per cent, Pakistan’s KSE 100 slid 1.49 per cent, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and Thailand’s SET both traded lower. 

US markets ended sharply lower on Monday, weighed down by a broad-based sell-off across technology and chip stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.29 per cent to 52,421.20, the S&P 500 declined 0.48 per cent to 7,619.98, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.56 per cent to 26,186.41. The NYSE Composite also closed weaker, down 0.52 per cent at 24,205.39. 

The sell-off was triggered by a surprise call from Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei for an industry-wide slowdown in AI development to address safety risks, a warning that found loose endorsement from OpenAI’s Sam Altman and xAI’s Elon Musk. The remarks specifically spooked the AI trade, dragging chip and technology stocks sharply lower. Adding to the pressure, oil prices spiked on escalating Middle East tensions, stoking fears of imported inflation. US Treasury yields compounded the anxiety, with the 10-year yield breaching the psychologically important 5 per cent level for the first time since 2023. 

Japan’s Nikkei found support from a weaker yen, which tends to benefit the country’s export-heavy index constituents even during bouts of global risk aversion. Traders also pointed to selective buying in technology and industrial names that had lagged the broader AI-linked sell-off in the US. In China, the Shanghai Composite’s gains were underpinned by continued optimism around domestic policy support measures and steady onshore institutional buying. Note: these two explanations aren’t sourced from the provided material — they’re standard market-logic inference, not confirmed reporting, so verify before publishing. 

Iran War 

The Houthis fired dozens of missiles and drones at a Saudi military airbase in Khamis Mushait on Monday, targeting aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots, and wounding thirteen civilians. The group has also taken control of Perim Island at the mouth of the Red Sea and dug into positions along almost the entire western Yemeni coast, despite intensified Saudi and Yemeni air strikes. Saudi Arabia has blamed Iran-backed militias in Iraq for last week’s drone strike that knocked out its 1,200-kilometre east-west pipeline, a route built in the 1980s to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf Arab states have postponed planned talks with Iran, while Washington has so far resisted Riyadh’s request for direct military intervention beyond intelligence support. 

The Nifty 50 declined 79.70 points, or 0.34 per cent, to close at 23,398.10 on Friday, while the Sensex fell 120.83 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 74,781.76, after a highly volatile session. Metal and realty stocks led the decline, both falling more than 2 per cent, with Hindalco Industries, JSW Steel and Tata Steel among the biggest losers. Private banks offered some support, with HDFC Bank, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, ITC, Tech Mahindra and Wipro among the notable gainers. Market breadth stayed weak, with 1,773 shares advancing against 2,373 declines and 190 unchanged. 

Source

• NSE
• BSE
• https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/houthis-strike-saudi-targets-anew-talks-over-strait-hormuz-stall-2026-09-15/
• https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/
• https://www.oilprice.com