SENSEX, NIFTY PARE MOST GAINS; REALTY SHARES CLIMB

Published on May 19, 2026 11:35

The key domestic indices pared the majority of their gains and traded slightly higher in mid-morning trade, supported by upbeat global markets. Sentiment stayed positive as tensions in West Asia showed signs of cooling. Meanwhile, the rupee depreciated following another increase in fuel prices by the government. Nifty traded below 23,750.

Realty shares jumped after declining in the past two trading sessions.

At 11:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex advanced 213.70 points or 0.28% to 75,533.38 The Nifty 50 index added 69.45 points or 0.29% to 23,719.40.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.99% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index jumped 1.25%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 2,641 shares rose and 1,142 shares fell. A total of 227 shares were unchanged.

In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 96.2750 compared with its close of 96.2000 during the previous trading session. It also touched an all-time intraday low of 96.3850 in early trade.

In the commodities market, Brent crude for July 2026 settlement declined $1.75 or 1.56% to $110.35 a barrel.

Fuel Hike

Fuel prices were increased again on Tuesday, with petrol and diesel rates rising by up to 90 paise per liter across major cities, marking the second hike in less than a week. The latest revision follows a sharp Rs 3 per liter increase announced on Friday.

In Delhi, petrol prices rose by 87 paise to Rs 98.64 per litre from Rs 97.77, while diesel prices increased by 91 paise to Rs 91.58 per litre from Rs 90.67.

In Mumbai, petrol prices climbed 91 paise to Rs 107.59 per liter, while diesel rose 94 paise to Rs 94.08 per liter.

Kolkata recorded the sharpest increase in petrol prices, which surged 96 paise to Rs 109.70 per liter. Diesel prices in the city advanced 94 paise to Rs 96.07 per liter. In Chennai, petrol prices increased by 82 paise to Rs 104.49 per litre, while diesel prices moved up 86 paise to Rs 96.11 per litre.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Realty Index rallied 1.99% to 766.95. The index declined 2.36% in past two consecutive trading sessions.

Aditya Birla Real Estate (up 3.19%), Prestige Estates Projects (up 3.12%), Lodha Developers (up 3.06%), Godrej Properties (up 2.99%), Anant Raj (up 2.2%), Sobha (up 1.58%), DLF (up 1.36%), Phoenix Mills (up 1.02%), Oberoi Realty (up 0.46%) and Brigade Enterprises (up 0.08%) surged.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) added 2.96% after the company�s standalone net profit surged 56.61% to Rs 11,377.51 crore in Q4 FY26 compared with Rs 7,264.85 crore in Q4 FY25. Revenue from operations (excluding excise duty) rose 6.62% YoY to Rs 2,07,883.23 crore in Q4 FY26 as against Rs 1,94,967.02 crore reported in Q4 FY25.

Timken India advanced 1.57%. The company has reported 16.8% fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 158.31 crore despite a 14.5% increase in revenue to Rs 1,089.83 crore in Q4 FY26 as compared with Q4 FY25.

Global Market:

Asia markets traded mixed on Tuesday as oil prices, while elevated, eased slightly following news that President Donald Trump was postponing a scheduled attack on Iran.

Trump said in a social media post that U.S. military leaders were informed to call off a "scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow� after requests from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

"A Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond. This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!,� Trump added.

However, Trump cautioned that he has informed his military leaders "to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment�s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.�

Despite the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, the vital Strait of Hormuz remains closed by Tehran, while the U.S. continues to blockade Iranian ports.

On the data front, investors assessed Japan�s first-quarter GDP data, which showed the economy grew at an annualized 2.1% in the first three months of the year. The growth was sharply higher than the widely reported average estimate of 1.7%, and against the 1.3% in the previous quarter. These figures do not capture the full impact of the Iran war, which started at the end of February.

A summit meeting between Japan�s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korea�s President Lee Jae Myung later today will also be in focus.

Overnight on Wall Street, the \Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 fell on Monday, bogged down by declines in technology, as traders monitored oil prices and bond yields while awaiting further developments with the conflict in the Middle East.

The broad market benchmark dropped 0.07% to end at 7,403.05, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq slid 0.51% and closed at 26,090.73. It was the second straight day of declines for both indexes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 159.95 points, or 0.32%, at 49,686.12.