Equity Futures
Nifty 50 seen in range Fri with positive bias on put writing
This story was originally published at 20:02 IST on 18 June 2026
Register to read our real-time news.Informist, Thursday, Jun. 18, 2026
By Simran Rede
MUMBAI – As the peace deal continues to hold ahead of its formal signing Friday, traders cautiously added a few long bets to the Nifty 50 options chain. The index is expected to edge higher, extending gains for a sixth straight session. However, the upside is likely to be limited, with the Nifty 50 expected to move in a range as investors await the signing of the peace deal and remain cautious ahead of the weekend.
On Thursday, the Nifty 50 moved between gains and losses within a 150-point range. Investors booked profits after the index's initial rise, pushing it into negative territory. Sentiments weakened after the US Federal Reserve signalled the possibility of an interest-rate hike this year at the conclusion of its monetary policy meeting. The central bank kept its policy interest rate unchanged at 3.50-3.75% Wednesday.
In the final hour of the trading session, the 50-stock index gained sharply to 24189.25 points but closed slightly off this level at 24168 points. Both the Nifty 50 and the BSE Sensex closed higher for the fifth consecutive session Thursday. The rise in the market has been driven by a decline in crude oil prices. The Brent crude oil futures contract expiring in August fell to $77.10 per barrel, the lowest level since the initial days of the conflict between the US and Iran.
At 1919 IST, the Brent crude oil August futures contract was 2.7% lower at $77.39 per barrel on the Intercontinental Exchange. Thursday, the Nifty 50 settled 0.3% higher at 24168 points and the BSE Sensex closed at 77409.98 points, up 0.3% from the previous close.
"From the derivatives perspective, the setup remains constructive. The Put-Call Ratio stands at 1.11, reflecting a balanced-to-positive sentiment among market participants," Dhupesh Dhameja, derivatives research analyst at SAMCO Securities, said in a note. Friday, the Nifty 50 is expected to rise to 24250, where it may find immediate resistance. Any fall will be limited till 24000-23800 points, according to analysts.
Premiums on call contracts of 24200, 24300, and 24350 rose slightly, while the premiums on contracts above these levels fell, likely capping the upside for the index. The premiums on these strike prices fell around 30?ch. The maximum addition, as well as the concentration of open interest, was at the 24500 call.
Traders sold all put contracts expiring next week. They wrote put contracts at strike prices such as 24100 and 23800 with their premiums falling 62-68%, indicating that these levels could be good support. The highest addition of open interest was at 24100 put, and the maximum concentration was at the 24000 put.
--Nifty 50 June closed at 24209.00, up 115.00 points; 41.00-point premium to the spot index
--Nifty 50 July closed at 24302.90, up 120.60 points; 134.90-point premium to the spot index
--Nifty 50 August closed at 24400.00, up 114.40 points; 232.00-point premium to the spot index
HDFC Bank, Infosys, State Bank of India, BSE, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, FSN E-Commerce Ventures, Central Depository Services (India), Adani Power, and Trent were the most actively traded underlying stocks Thursday. End
US$1 = INR 94.3325
IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT
Edited by Saji George Titus
For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.
Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.
Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000
Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com
© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.
To read more please subscribe
Share this Story:
