Indian Stocks Rise: Sensex Up 0.82% on Global Cues & FII Buying

Indian equity markets concluded Thursday’s trading session significantly higher, snapping their recent losing streak. The rebound was largely driven by positive global cues and easing global bond yields, following a key announcement from the U.S. Treasury Department.

The U.S. Treasury revealed plans to buy back more longer-term debt, specifically maturities between 10 and 30 years. This strategic move aims to manage borrowing costs, contributing to the positive sentiment observed across global markets.

Key Market Drivers

• Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) extended their buying streak for the second consecutive day, injecting equities worth Rs 407.99 crore on August 19, 2026.
• Traders noted reports of India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, meeting US Assistant Secretary of State S Paul Kapur to discuss bilateral partnership developments.
• Minutes from the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting indicated a wait-and-watch approach. The panel acknowledged inflation risks from rising food and fuel prices but found limited evidence of broad-based price pressures.

Despite the broad gains, the market faced limiting factors. High crude oil prices and continued geopolitical tensions in West Asia somewhat constrained the upward momentum.

Index Performance and Sectoral Gains

The BSE Sensex closed at 77537.72, marking an increase of 628.04 points, or 0.82%. The index traded within a range of 77371.00 and 77611.11 throughout the session.

• On the Sensex, 25 stocks advanced against 4 stocks declining, with one stock remaining unchanged.
• The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE included Realty, up by 1.87%.
• FMCG also saw a rise of 1.03%, while IT gained 0.94%.
• TECK advanced by 0.86%, and Consumer Discretionary closed up by 0.75%.

European markets, however, traded in the red amid persistent inflation concerns and heightened geopolitical uncertainty. Conversely, Asian markets ended mostly higher, tracking positive cues from Wall Street as global bond yields eased from multi-year highs.