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Informist, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026

By Adhithya Aji

MUMBAI – Benchmark equity indices are expected to open higher Thursday after a week-long decline as global cues turn positive. Most Asian markets opened higher Thursday, while major US indices ended higher Wednesday. The sharp decline in the 10-year US Treasury yield is supporting market sentiment. However, the major overhang on markets – the West Asia war – is still likely to weigh on sentiment after US President Donald Trump announced additional economic sanctions on Iran.

The US Treasury Department announced a larger debt buyback operation to support Treasury after yields rose to new highs this week. The department said it would double the size of government debt repurchases, CNBC reported. Following the announcement, the 10-year US Treasury yield fell more than 6 basis points to settle at 4.690%. On Tuesday, the yield had hit a more-than-one-year high of 4.7520%.

On the war front, US President Donald Trump announced a "crushing economic operation" against Iran amidst the uncertainty over reaching a peace deal. Trump warned that any country which supports Iran will face heavy economic retaliation, Al Jazeera reported. Earlier, Trump said that peace talks with Iran will happen "maybe at some point", and he added that "right now, the situation is good," the report said.

At 0800 IST, the August contracts of GIFT Nifty were 0.2% higher at 24236, which is nearly 158 points higher than the Nifty 50's close on Wednesday. This suggests a positive start for the index. The immediate support for the index is seen around 24000, according to Vipin Kumar, assistant vice-president of research at Globe Capital Market. "Going forward, a decisive break and sustained trading below 24000 could drag the index towards 23800, followed by 23600 in the immediate near term," Kumar said. The resistance for the 50-stock index is seen at 24250, he added. Kumar is of the view that Nifty 50 is likely to open on a positive note Thursday. 

On Wednesday, foreign institutional investors bought shares worth INR 4.08 billion, while domestic participants bought shares worth INR 39.74 billion. Foreign investors have been net buyers for two consecutive sessions. Most of the Asian markets opened higher Thursday, with South Korea's Kospi gaining nearly 6% to be the top gainer in the region. US indices ended higher Wednesday, buoyed by the US Treasury Department's action to increase government debt purchases.  End

US$1 = INR 95.75

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

Edited by Saji George Titus

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