Benchmark indices trimmed their sharp morning losses by midday Monday, with the Sensex and Nifty recovering a significant portion of early declines even as broader market breadth remained firmly negative.

As of 12.45 PM, the BSE Sensex was trading at 75,087.71, down 150.28 points or 0.20 per cent, having recovered from the morning low of 74,447.73 — a near 640-point intraday recovery. The NSE Nifty50 stood at 23,577.55, down 65.95 points or 0.28 per cent, clawing back from its earlier low of 23,393.45.

The afternoon turnaround was largely driven by information technology stocks, which extended their morning gains into stronger territory. Tech Mahindra was the top Nifty gainer, surging 4.08 per cent to ₹1,426.40 from a previous close of ₹1,370.50, with over 47 lakh shares changing hands worth ₹65,472 lakhs. Bharti Airtel rose 2.14 per cent to ₹1,946.10 from ₹1,905.40, among the most actively traded stocks with volumes crossing 83 lakh shares valued at over ₹1,61,345 lakhs. Infosys climbed 1.81 per cent to ₹1,139.20 from ₹1,119, clocking trades worth ₹82,211 lakhs. Wipro added 0.97 per cent to ₹191.84 from ₹190, while HCL Technologies gained 0.88 per cent to ₹1,142.60 from ₹1,132.60.

Despite the broader recovery, several heavyweights continued to drag. Power Grid Corporation remained under pressure, falling 4.02 per cent to ₹293.55 from a previous close of ₹305.85 — the steepest decline on the Nifty50 — on volumes of nearly 98.5 lakh shares worth ₹28,893 lakhs. Tata Steel slipped 3.83 per cent to ₹208.53 from ₹216.84, with over 5 crore shares traded worth more than ₹1,04,501 lakhs, making it the most heavily traded stock by value in the losers’ list. State Bank of India declined 2.69 per cent to ₹937.30 from ₹963.20, with 85 lakh shares traded worth ₹80,113 lakhs, reflecting continued pressure on public sector banking stocks. Trent dropped 2.38 per cent to ₹4,003.60 from ₹4,101.30, while Eternal fell 2.13 per cent to ₹236.05 from ₹241.18.

Market breadth on BSE painted a cautious picture. Of 4,308 stocks traded, only 970 advanced while 3,148 declined and 190 remained unchanged — a ratio of roughly one gainer for every three decliners. 255 stocks hit the lower circuit against 174 in the upper circuit. Eighty-six stocks touched 52-week highs while 67 hit 52-week lows.

The partial recovery through the session suggests some dip-buying, particularly in technology and telecom, but the overall tone remains weak with crude oil still elevated above $111 per barrel, the rupee under pressure past the 96 mark against the dollar, and global geopolitical uncertainty showing no signs of easing ahead of the final trading hours.

Published on May 18, 2026