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Informist, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

Equity Alert: Asian indices turn mixed as oil prices climb, bond yields gain

MUMBAI--0845 IST--Major Asian indices turned mixed in early trade on Friday, tracking losses in their US counterparts as yields on long-term US bonds rebounded. Rising crude oil prices added to the pressure. The strain was visible as Japan's Nikkei 225 and the Australian S&P ASX 200 fell 0.3% each. On the other hand, the South Korean Kospi and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index were up 0.7% each. Mainland China's CSI 300 was up 0.4%.   

Friday October futures of Brent crude oil remained around $94 per barrel after gaining around 2% Thursday as tensions between the US and Iran rose. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed that the US would create "the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world" against Iran, according to a report by CNBC. 

The rise in long-term bond yields globally translates into higher debt costs as tech giants borrow heavily to fund artificial intelligence-related spending, putting pressure on corporate earnings and stock valuations, Reuters reported. 

Following are the levels of key indices in the region at 0815:

(Vidhi Thacker)

Informist, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

Equity Alert: Indices to move in range Fri; positive bias likely to stay

MUMBAI--0830 IST--Benchmark equity indices are likely to move in range as suggested by the levels of GIFT Nifty. Asian equity indices were mixed in early trade. Though higher crude oil prices are likely to remain a major overhang, the cooling of US bond yields is expected to provide relief for the short term.

At 0759 IST, Brent crude oil futures for October delivery were largely flat at $93.80 a barrel. This was nearly 29% higher than the levels before the war in West Asia.

At 0818 IST, the August futures contract of GIFT Nifty was at 24325.50, up 31.50 points or 0.1% from Thursday. This indicated a range-bound movement for the market.

"Nifty (50) index bounced back from the key support zone around 24000 spot levels after filling the gap left during the rally on July 29, 2026," Vipin Kumar, assistant vice-president of research at Globe Capital Market, said. "Going ahead, a sustained trading above 24250 spot could lead the index towards the 24400–24450 spot levels, which are likely to act as a strong resistance zone on the higher side. Overall, the chart structure remains sideways as long as the index continues to consolidate within the 23600–24700 spot range on a closing basis."

South Korea's KOSPI gained almost 1% among Asian equity indices. All three major US indices closed lower Thursday with the S&P 500 shedding almost 1%.  (Arundathi A R)

Equity Alert: US indices end lower amid rising bond yields, higher oil prices

MUMBAI--0745 IST--US indices closed lower Thursday as bond yields rose once again and also as a rally in oil prices added to inflation worries. The Dow Jones Industrial Average underperformed its peers and ended 1.32% lower. The S&P 500 closed 0.87% down, while the Nasdaq Composite ended 1% lower. 

Bond yields rose Thursday, with the yield on 10-year treasury notes gaining more than 5 basis points to 4.704%. The yield on 30-year treasury bonds rose more than 5 bps to 5.248%, reaching its highest level in 20 years, according to a report by CNBC. The US treasury department Wednesday said that it will double its repurchase of long-term debt over the next few months. The debt buyback operation could be more than $4 billion, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to CNBC. 

Shares of Walmart fell more than 9% Thursday after the retail heavyweight missed Wall Street's expectations for its quarterly results as higher gasoline prices impacted retail spending, according to Reuters. This dragged down the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Other competitor retailers, like Costco, Dollar Tree, and Alberston, were also down 1–2%. Goldman Sachs fell more than 4% and put further pressure on the Dow.

Crude oil prices rose further on Thursday by around 2% to $93.78 per barrel, adding to the pressure. Oil prices were up more than 3% early in the session after US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with the "MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY!" Bessent told CNBC that the president's comments were being misinterpreted. "I'm not sure why oil has popped up on this. If we are doing the maximum economic pressure, then that means that likely there will not be a large-scale kinetic restart," Bessent told CNBC. 

Following are the closing levels of major US indices Thursday:

(Vidhi Thacker)

US$1 = INR 95.70

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

Edited by Saji George Titus

All prices from National Stock Exchange, unless otherwise specified.

All percentage changes for share prices are rounded off to the nearest whole number; percentage changes for index values are rounded off to one decimal place.

All times are Indian Standard Time.

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