GIFT Nifty March 2026 futures were down 486.50 points, suggesting a negative opening for the Nifty 50 today.

Institutional Flows:

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 2,714.35 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 3,253.03 crore in the Indian equity market on 18 March 2026, provisional data showed.

The FIIs have sold shares worth Rs 73,704.31 crore in March (till 18 March 2026). This follows their cash sales of Rs 6,640.78 crore in February and Rs 41,435.22 crore in January 2026.

Global Markets:

Asia-Pacific markets declined on Thursday, tracking losses on Wall Street that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average touch a new closing low for the year.

Bank of Japan kept the interest rates steady at 0.75% but noted that inflation risks now are tilted to the upside due to the Iran war.

In the commodities market, Brent crude for May 2026 settlement rallied$ 3.85 or 3.59% to $111.23 a barrel.

Overnight in the U.S., the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial lost 1.63%, ending at 46,225.15, reaching a new low this year. The index also closed below its 200-day moving average. The S&P 500 fell 1.36%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.46%.

The Federal Reserve held its key policy rate steady at 3.5% to 3.75%, with Chair Jerome Powell watering down rate-cut expectations, saying that inflation was not coming down as much as 'hoped.'

The U.S. central bank's 'dot plot' projects a cut in 2026 and another in 2027, even though the timing is unclear.

The producer price index ' which tracks the change in wholesale prices ' rose 0.7% in February, well above the 0.3% that economists polled by Dow Jones had estimated.

Domestic Market:

Domestic equity benchmarks ended Wednesday's session with strong gains, extending their rally for the third straight day, even as the ongoing Middle East conflict kept investor sentiment cautious.

The S&P BSE Sensex jumped 633.29 points or 0.83% to 76,704.13. The Nifty 50 index surged 196.65 points or 0.83% to 23,777.80. In three consecutive trading sessions, the Sensex and Nifty climbed 2.87% and 2.71% respectively.

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