Indian Equities Snap Seven-Day Losing Streak on August 20, Led by Banking and IT; Today Sees Mixed Opening Amid Global Cues
The market's rebound was fueled by easing global bond-market concerns and FII buying, though caution persists with elevated crude oil prices and rising US bond yields.
The story
Indian equity benchmarks staged a notable recovery on Thursday, August 20, snapping a seven-day losing streak. The Sensex jumped 628.04 points, or 0.82%, to close at 77,537.72, while the Nifty 50 gained 153.55 points, or 0.64%, to settle at 24,231.85.
This rebound was largely attributed to positive global cues, including the US Treasury's plans to double buyback sizes for long-duration debt, which helped calm global bond markets. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers, injecting ₹3,537.71 crore into the cash segment, though foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers, offloading shares worth ₹583.36 crore on August 20.
Banking and IT stocks led the recovery, and the rupee appreciated by 17 paise to 95.56 against the US dollar. However, markets opened flat to marginally lower on Friday, August 21, with the Sensex down 59.58 points at 77,478.14 and the Nifty 50 down 11.60 points at 24,220.25, as elevated crude oil prices and renewed concerns over global bond yields weighed on sentiment.
India VIX, the market's volatility gauge, rose 3.72% to 11.12 on Friday morning, reflecting increased caution. Sectoral performance was mixed, with metal, private bank, and realty stocks seeing gains, while IT, FMCG, and auto sectors lagged.
The tape
| Instrument | Last | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | 24,231.85 | +153.55 (+0.64%) |
| Sensex | 77,537.72 | +628.04 (+0.82%) |
| Bank Nifty | 57,495.90 | +256.15 (+0.45%) |
| USD/INR | 95.71 | -0.06 |
| India 10Y Yield | 6.87% | +0.05 (+5 bps) |
| India VIX | 11.12 | +0.40 (+3.72%) |
Flows & data
| Item | Reading | Read |
|---|---|---|
| FII Net Flows | -₹583.36 crore (August 20, 2026) | Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the cash segment. |
| DII Net Flows | +₹3,537.71 crore (August 20, 2026) | Domestic institutional investors continued to provide support with net buying. |
IPOs & the primary market
The primary market remains active with several issues opening and listing this week. Gaja Alternative Asset Management's mainboard IPO opened on August 19 and closes today, August 21, alongside Tempsens Instruments (India) which opened on August 20 and will close on August 24.
Augmont Enterprises also saw its mainboard IPO open today, August 21, to close on August 25. In the SME segment, Dhanwel Hybrid Seeds and Mopshop Distribution, both open from August 19 to August 21, saw subscriptions of 1.11x and 1.29x respectively as of August 21.
Meanwhile, several SME issues made their market debut today: Technocrats Plasma Systems listed at ₹230.0 against an offer price of ₹125-132, ENS Enterprises listed at ₹96.0, and Skytech Infinite Platform listed at ₹74.0. Credent Connect N Care had listed on August 20 at ₹359.1.
Valuation watch — India & global
Concerns regarding global valuations persist, with Jefferies strategist Christopher Wood highlighting that the US public debt has surpassed $40 trillion. He flagged a rise above 5% in the 10-year US Treasury yield, currently at 4.69%, as a potential risk trigger for equities.
This comes as discussions around the AI infrastructure boom suggest a potential financial bubble, with some highly leveraged cloud infrastructure companies facing pressure. While valuations in certain emerging sectors are noted as expensive, India's equity market is showing a structural shift, with domestically funded, SIP-driven DII flows increasingly providing a floor, reducing its historical dependence on FIIs.
What we'll be watching
- Monthly derivatives expiry on August 25, which may lead to increased market volatility.
- SME IPO of ABH Healthcare opens for subscription from August 24 to August 26.
- Madhur Knit Crafts SME IPO is scheduled to open from August 24 to August 27.
- Sumax Engineering SME IPO is set to open from August 25 to August 28.
- Kwick Forensic Solutions SME IPO is slated to open from August 27 to August 31.
Reporting + analyst voices: grounded via Google Search at publish time.