Stock Market Close Report Today, August 26, 2026: Nifty, Sensex Decline As Metals, Banks Fail To Lift Benchmarks

Mumbai, August 26: Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on Wednesday, with the Nifty slipping below the 24,250 mark and the Sensex declining 183 points as selling in IT and infrastructure stocks outweighed gains in metal and banking shares. The Sensex fell 183.15 points, or 0.24%, to 77,472.94, while the Nifty declined 126.80 points, or 0.52%, to 24,207.75. 

Market breadth remained relatively positive despite the decline in the headline indices. About 2,263 stocks advanced on the NSE, while 1,881 declined and 173 remained unchanged. The Nifty Midcap index ended marginally lower, while the Nifty Smallcap index gained 0.8%, indicating continued investor interest in the broader market even as large-cap benchmarks came under pressure. 

Metals, Private Banks Outperform 

Sectoral performance was mixed, with metal and private bank stocks emerging as the strongest pockets of the market. The respective indices gained around 1%, while the PSU Bank index advanced 0.7%. JSW Steel featured among the top Nifty gainers, while Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank and HDFC Life also ended higher. UltraTech Cement was another major gainer on the benchmark. 

The Nifty Metal index benefitted from strength in key commodity prices, with Hindustan Zinc among the notable performers after a positive brokerage view on the stock. Buying in private banks also provided some cushion to the broader market, helping limit the impact of declines in technology and infrastructure counters. 

IT, Infrastructure Stocks Drag 

The Nifty IT and Infrastructure indices fell around 1% each, emerging as the biggest sectoral drags on the benchmarks. Infosys was one of the worst-performing Nifty stocks, while Tech Mahindra also declined. Power Grid Corp and Bharti Airtel were among the other major losers. 

Several other sectors also ended in the red. Auto, consumer durables, energy, FMCG, oil and gas and realty indices declined between 0.5% and 0.9%, reflecting broad-based profit-taking across several segments of the market. 

Nifty Ends Around 24,200 

The Nifty opened with gains but failed to sustain the momentum as selling emerged in key heavyweight stocks. The index eventually settled at 24,207.75, down 126.80 points or 0.52%. The Sensex followed a similar trajectory, closing at 77,472.94, down 183.15 points or 0.24%. 

Among the biggest Nifty gainers were Kotak Mahindra Bank, UltraTech Cement, Axis Bank, HDFC Life and JSW Steel. On the other hand, Infosys, Power Grid Corp, Bharti Airtel, Tech Mahindra and Shriram Finance featured among the key laggards. 

Broader Market Holds Up 

Despite weakness in the headline indices, the broader market showed relative resilience. The Nifty Smallcap index rose 0.8%, while the Midcap index ended marginally lower. The mixed breadth and divergent sectoral performance highlighted continued stock-specific buying, even as investors remained cautious toward large-cap technology and infrastructure names. 

The market’s next directional cues are likely to come from global equity trends, crude oil prices, foreign fund flows and developments around the Strait of Hormuz. The recent decline in oil prices has provided some relief to oil-importing economies such as India, but geopolitical developments remain a key source of uncertainty for global markets. 

Source

•  NSE
• BSE