Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, started the session in red on Thursday, April 23, 2026, tracking sharp weakness in GIFT Nifty and cautious global cues amid a rise in Brent oil prices. While the 30-share BSE Sensex shed 532.83 points or 0.67 per cent to start the session at 77,983.66, the Nifty fell 175.75 points to open at 24,202.35. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 78,516.49 and the Nifty 50 at 24,378.10. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index was down by 40.30 points, the BSE Smallcap Select Index fell 12.51 points or 0.15 per cent, to trade at 8,058.70.ย
From the Sensex pack, BEL, Trent, and PowerGrid were only three stocks in green, with BEL leading the pack by gaining 0.27 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, Indigo, UltraTech Cement, Asian Paints, Mahindra & Mahindra and Eternal were in the red, with Indigo being the biggest loser by falling 2.10 per cent.ย
In early trade, market breadth was negative, with 1,610 stocks advancing against 1,092 stocks declining on the NSE. 84 stocks remained unchanged.
“As long as the market trades below 24,500/79000, the weak sentiment is likely to continue. On the downside, it could slip to 24,300/78200. Further downside may also continue, which could drag the index up to 24100-24000/77700-77400. On the flip side, above 24,500/79000, it could retest levels of 24,600โ24,675/79300-79500,” said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a weak to negative start as it opened with a fall of 84.5 points at 24,279.50, compared to the previous close of 24,364. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers with outflows of 2,078.36 crore on April 22, 2026. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) too recorded outflows of approximately Rs 2,078.36 crore.
Asian Markets Today
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Asian stocks pulled back from record highs on Thursday. While Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 680.86 points or 1.14 per cent to trade at 58,905, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down by 228.24 points or 0.88 per cent. Similarly, South Korea’s Kospi traded in the red with a drop of 51.83 points at the time of writing the report. Shanghai’s SSE Composite index was down 32.55 points or 0.79 per cent.