Market Opening Bell: Sensex drops 394 points, Nifty near 23,450 as global markets extend losses
Sensex, Nifty Today: Asian markets extended their losses as US equities slipped amid pressure from rising inflation worries that have driven up global bond yields.
Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, started the trading session on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, on a negative note amid rising geopolitical uncertainty and negative global cues, driven by inflation worries that have pushed up global bond yields. While the 30-share BSE Sensex fell 394.36 points or 0.52 per cent to start the session at 74,806.49, the Nifty shed 160.75 points to open at 23,457.25. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 75,200.85 and the Nifty 50 at 23,618. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index fell 92.19 points, the BSE Smallcap Select Index dropped 42.83 points or 0.51 per cent, to trade at 8,320.79.
From the Sensex pack, Bharati Airtel, Sun Pharma, and TCS were in green with Bharti Airtel leading the pack by gaining 0.65 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, Asian Paints, Kotak Bank, BEL, Bajaj Finance and Eternal were in the red with Asian Paimnts being the top loser by falling over 1.86 per cent.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, hinted at a negative start as it opened with a loss of 60.5 points at 23,504.50, compared to the previous close of 23,565. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned net sellers and offloaded equities worth Rs 2,457.49 crore on May 19. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) remained buyers, purchasing equities worth Rs 3,801.68 crore.
"Overall, market sentiment remains fragile, with global bond yields, geopolitical developments, crude oil prices, and institutional flows continuing to dominate near-term direction. Until broader macro stability improves, markets are likely to remain highly volatile with selective sector rotation rather than broad-based bullish momentum," said Hariprasad K, SEBI-registered Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth.
Asian Markets Today
Asian markets extended their losses as US equities slipped amid pressure from rising inflation worries that have driven up global bond yields. Japan's Nikkei 225 was down by 890.59 points or 1.47 per cent at 59,660 at the time of writing the report. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down by 126.85 points or 0.49 per cent. South Korea's Kospi traded in the red with a drop of 162.43 per cent at the time of writing the report. Similarly, Shanghai's SSE Composite index was down by 18.56 points or 0.45 per cent.
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(This article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, financial, or other advice.)