Markets Hold Gains at Midday; Sensex Up 228 pts as Middle East Hopes Offset Ship Seizure Anxiety

Mumbai, May 15: Indian equity markets maintained their positive bias through the first half of Friday’s session, with the BSE Sensex trading at 75,627.16, up 228.44 points or 0.30 percent, and the Nifty 50 at 23,768.70, gaining 79.10 points or 0.33 percent, as of 12:08 am. The gains, while trimmed from the morning highs, reflected a market that remained broadly constructive despite the unresolved geopolitical situation in the Middle East keeping investors from committing aggressively on the long side.

Gainers

Among the top Nifty gainers at midday, Tata Motors PV (TMPV) led the pack with its last trading price at ₹360.05 against a previous close of ₹338.75, surging 6.29%. Infosys traded at ₹1,123.40 versus ₹1,095.00, up 2.59%. Coal India advanced 2.42% to ₹465.05 from ₹454.05, while Adani Ports rose 2.27% to ₹1,813.70 from ₹1,773.40. Kotak Mahindra Bank gained 2.05% to ₹391.05 from ₹383.20, Tech Mahindra climbed 1.95% to ₹1,369.60 from ₹1,343.40, and TCS moved up 1.74% to ₹2,285.00 from ₹2,246.00.

Losers

On the losing side, Hindalco was the sharpest decliner, last seen at ₹1,078.40 against a previous close of ₹1,103.30, down 2.26%. Reliance Industries slipped 1.78% to ₹1,337.50 from ₹1,361.80. Trent shed 1.66% to ₹4,063.80 from ₹4,132.40, while Apollo Hospitals eased 0.92% to ₹8,044.00 from ₹8,119.00. UltraTech Cement declined 0.80% to ₹11,598.00 from ₹11,692.00, and BEL slipped 0.62% to ₹426.20 from ₹428.85.

Broader and Sectoral Markets

In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap Select was down 0.17% at 14,241.30, the Nifty 100 gained 0.15% to 24,690.95, while the Nifty 200 edged up 0.11% to 13,660.30. The Nifty Midcap 100 eased marginally by 0.03% to 60,820.05, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 declined 0.21% to 17,953.65, reflecting some selling pressure in the smaller end of the market.

On the sectoral front, Nifty Media was the star performer, surging 3.73% to 1,460.80, followed by Nifty IT which gained 1.77% to 27,843.45. Nifty FMCG rose 0.72% to 51,146.40, Nifty Auto added 0.51% to 26,183.15, and Nifty Services Sector climbed 0.65% to 29,878.80. On the losing side, Nifty Oil & Gas led declines with a drop of 1.32% to 11,290.95, followed by Nifty Realty which shed 1.24% to 760.55, Nifty Metal down 1.11% to 13,411.95, and Nifty PSU Bank falling 0.89% to 8,102.00.

Middle East Conflict

The Middle East conflict continued to generate unease among global investors through Friday’s session. Diplomacy between the US and Iran remains effectively stalled, with both sides having rejected each other’s most recent proposals last week. However, investors drew measured encouragement from Thursday’s Trump-Xi talks in Beijing, where both leaders agreed on the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz open — a signal markets interpreted as the first meaningful convergence of the two superpowers on the issue. Investors remain hopeful that a follow-up round of talks could translate the agreement into tangible diplomatic pressure on Tehran. That optimism, however, was tempered by fresh reports that Iranian personnel had seized a ship anchored off the UAE port of Fujairah and steered it toward Iranian waters on Thursday, a reminder that on-ground hostilities continue unabated even as diplomats talk.

Asian Markets

Asian markets were broadly in the red on Friday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 down 1.28 percent at 61,849.81, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng falling 1.03 percent to 26,117.77, Indonesia’s JSX Composite shedding 1.98 percent to 6,723.32, and the Shanghai Composite slipping 0.53 percent to 4,155.59.

Morning Session

Indian equity markets opened on a cautiously optimistic note on Friday, with the Sensex and Nifty 50 edging into positive territory in early trade, drawing encouragement from a key diplomatic signal out of Beijing — that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open. The BSE Sensex was trading at 75,717.74, up 319.02 points or 0.42 percent, while the Nifty 50 held at 23,785.55, gaining 95.95 points or 0.41 percent, as of 9:30 IST on Friday.

Sources:

• https://www.nseindia.com/market-data/live-market-indices
• https://www.nseindia.com/market-data/top-gainers-losers
• bseindia.com
• https://www.reuters.com/world/china/iran-war-overshadows-trumps-china-visit-peace-talks-stall-2026-05-14/
• https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/oil-rises-fears-ship-attacks-seizures-persist-2026-05-15/
• https://www.reuters.com/markets/stocks/asia-pacific/