Nifty Poised for Positive Start as Global Cues Improve Over Weekend

Indian equity markets concluded the last trading session on Friday, August 21, 2026, with benchmark indices closing largely flat. The Nifty 50 settled at 24,252.00, registering a marginal gain of 20.15 points, or +0.08%. The BSE Sensex ended almost unchanged at 77,540.83, up 3.11 points, or approximately 0.004%. Broader markets showed slight positive movement, with the Nifty Midcap 100 rising to 63,735.75, an increase of 64.20 points or +0.10%.

As Indian markets remain closed for the weekend, global cues have shifted. Wall Street rebounded on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising approximately 0.98% to 53,277.01. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index weakened slightly to 98.8168, and the Indian Rupee strengthened against the dollar to 95.6850. These developments, alongside elevated crude oil prices hovering near $94 per barrel, will dictate sentiment when trading resumes.

Gift Nifty is indicating a positive bias for the next trading session, trading at 24,335 as of early Saturday. With no FII/DII data available due to the market holiday, investors should monitor the movement of the India VIX, which settled at 11.20, and the 10-year government bond yield, which recently hovered near two-month highs at 6.87%. Watch for stability in global oil prices and US Treasury yields as primary catalysts for the opening bell.