GIFT Nifty August 2026 futures are currently trading 86 points lower, indicating a negative opening for Dalal Street today. This contrasts with Thursday's session when Indian equity markets ended higher with the Sensex closing 374 points higher at 78,955 and the Nifty gaining 11 points to end at 24,636. The benchmarks saw minor adjustments after the Closing Auction Session (CAS), with the Nifty adjusting by 8 points, Sensex by 169 points and Nifty Bank by 56 points from their 3:15 pm levels.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) turned net buyers on Friday, investing ₹480.24 crore in Indian equities, ending their brief selling streak from Thursday. According to provisional exchange data, FIIs bought equities worth ₹12,941.31 crore and sold shares worth ₹12,461.07 crore, resulting in a net inflow of ₹480.24 crore during the session. This marked a reversal from Thursday's session when FIIs were marginal net sellers, selling ₹17.86 crore worth of shares. The latest data shows FIIs have bought shares worth ₹24,636 crore so far in August (till 07 August 2026), following their cash sales of ₹5,778.99 crore in July, ₹49,028.63 crore in June and ₹55,963.33 crore in May.
Domestic institutional investors provided strong support to the market, purchasing ₹235.56 crore worth of equities during Friday's session. DIIs recorded total purchases of ₹15,679.58 crore and sales of ₹15,444.02 crore. This domestic buying helped offset the foreign selling pressure and contributed to the market's positive performance despite the banking sector weakness. In contrast, DIIs have invested nearly ₹4.94 lakh crore on a year-to-date basis, continuing to offset foreign outflows and provide support to domestic markets. The combined institutional activity comes as benchmark indices ended largely lower on Friday.
Indian equity markets ended largely lower on Friday, with the Sensex jumping 373.76 points or 0.48% to 78,954.76 and the Nifty 50 index rising 11.35 points or 0.05% to 24,636 in the previous session. In two consecutive sessions, the Sensex rose 1.33% while the Nifty climbed 1.29%. The sentiment was supported by hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East and a better-than-expected June-quarter earnings season. However, GIFT Nifty's negative opening suggests potential pressure as global markets showed mixed signals. Asian markets traded higher on Friday as investor sentiment improved on hopes that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would help ease crude oil prices and temper inflationary pressures.
Oil prices rose Friday amid worries over supply disruptions after Iran published a restrictive draft plan for the Strait of Hormuz. Futures for international benchmark Brent crude for October delivery gained 1.25% to $83.52 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for September advanced 1.10% at $78.14 per barrel. According to the apparent draft plan published by Iran, the country would ban U.S. and Israeli ships from transiting the Strait. China's exports grew more than expected in July, with exports rising 23% year-on-year in U.S. dollar terms, though the pace moderated from June's robust expansion. China's trade surplus stood at $112.5 billion in July, narrowing from $125.6 billion recorded in June.
