Stock Market Mid-Day report, July 15, 2026: Sensex Up 469 points as Rally Moderates from Opening High

Mumbai, July 15: Indian benchmark indices maintained a strong lead through midday deals on Wednesday, sustaining their rebound from Tuesday’s sell-off, although the rate of increase moderated from the previous session’s open highs. 

Sensex and Nifty 

The Sensex rose 469.21 points or 0.61 per cent to 77,524.15 and the Nifty 50 added 128.30 points or 0.53 per cent to 24,180.35 as of 11:58 am. Both benchmarks held above the 24,100 level that Nifty fell below in Tuesday’s session. 

Indian markets continue to draw support from positive cues overseas. Stocks on Wall Street ended higher across the board on Tuesday, led by the Nasdaq Composite, while most Asian indexes traded in the green Wednesday afternoon, led by Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng.  

Tensions between the US and Iran escalated this week after the two countries exchanged strikes for the first time since a brief June conflict ended in a truce. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning after the US announced fresh sanctions on Iranian ports and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched missiles at two tankers in the Strait. Brent crude held its gains into Wednesday amid supply- disruption concerns, trading close to a one-month high even as equity markets continued to hold up well. 

Here are the top highlights on equity markets as of Wednesday midday. 

Top Gainers, Losers 

The top gainers on Nifty 50 were Shriram Finance (SHRIRAMFIN) (+2.88%), UltraTech Cement (ULTRACEMCO) (+2.84%), Eternal (ETERNAL) (+2.41%), HDFC Life (HDFCLIFE) (+2.19%) and IndiGo (INDIGO) (+2.08%) by 11:55 am. On the flip side, the biggest losers were Infosys (INFY) (-1.17%), Power Grid Corporation (POWERGRID) (-1.10%), Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRREDDY) (-1.02%), Tata Consumer Products (TATACONSUM) (-0.96%) and Hindalco (HINDALCO) (-0.91%). 

Broad Market Indices 

Broader market indices traded even stronger than headline indices by midday deals, led by Nifty Smallcap 100 (+1.04%), Nifty Smallcap 250 (+0.92%) and Nifty Smallcap 50 (+0.92%), suggesting that risk appetite remains intact even below the large-cap universe. All broad market indices were in the green with Nifty Midcap 100 posting its strongest gains at 0.62 per cent. 

Sectoral Performance 

The top sectoral performers were Nifty Cement (+2.24%), Nifty Chemicals (+1.51%) and Nifty Financial Services Ex- Bank (+1.16%), while Nifty IT (-0.34%) was the sole laggard among sectoral indices by midday deals. Indian financial services shares continued to extend gains through the session to move higher for the third straight day. 

Asian Markets 

Asian markets largely held their ground after Wall Street’s firm close on Tuesday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.34 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 1.57 per cent and Malaysia’s FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI rose 0.96 per cent by Wednesday afternoon. China’s Shanghai Composite (-0.31%) was among the few regional decliners while Pakistan’s KSE 100 (-3.57%) was the biggest loser among major Asian benchmarks. 

US Markets 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.09 per cent, S&P 500 rose 0.38 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.90 per cent on Tuesday. All three benchmarks held their ground even as oil prices traded higher on Middle East tensions. Crude benchmarks erased initial losses following Trump’s comments and extended gains through Tuesday’s session. 

Middle East Conflict 

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday morning after US President Donald Trump announced fresh sanctions targeting Iranian ports. The Strait of Hormuz is a key choke point through which about one-fifth of global oil shipments once flowed. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also launched missiles at two oil tankers that were located in the Strait on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg. 

Iran and the US traded fresh strikes early Wednesday after tensions between the two countries spiked this week following the end of a June truce. Trump announced the US naval blockade on Iranian ports would resume while also warning Iran not to target power plants and bridges next week or “they will suffer consequences like few countries can suffer consequences.”  

Oil Prices 

Brent crude futures rose 1.72 per cent to $86.19 per barrel while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures added 1.4 per cent to $80.40 a barrel. Both benchmarks closed Tuesday at their highest since June 12 amid rising supply concerns through the Strait of Hormuz. 

The Brent contract has closed at a high each of the last two sessions, highlighting how quickly geopolitical tensions can pass through into oil markets. Crude oil prices are seen as a key risk to India’s near-term inflation and currency outlook as the country imports the majority of its requirements. 

Indian Markets in Morning Session 

Indian stocks opened higher through early trade Wednesday, rising as much as 0.9 per cent on positive sentiment overseas. The Sensex pared its gains to 0.61 per cent by midday deals as buying interest eased from early highs. Shriram Finance and UltraTech Cement were among the early movers, rising over 2.8 per cent each on strong buying interest. Infosys and Power Grid Corporation traded on the weaker side among Nifty 50 constituents through Wednesday’s morning session on bouts of profit-booking and sector-specific caution ahead of earnings. 

Source

• BSE
• NSE