The Indian stock market witnessed significant intraday volatility on 13 August 2026, with the Nifty closing 0.16% lower at 24,395.85 and the Sensex gaining 0.15% to 78,079.96. According to latest reports, the market opened flat but faced selling pressure in the first half, dragging the Nifty to an intraday low of 24,311.40. However, buying in the afternoon session helped the index recover most of its losses, ending largely flat after a volatile session. The Nifty's 0.16% decline marked its third straight session of losses, though the Sensex managed to close higher. The India VIX, which measures the implied volatility of Nifty 50 options, was down 2.67% to 11.38, reaching a new 6-months low, indicating reduced market uncertainty. The Sensex hit a high of 78,119.39 and a low of 77,665.89, gyrating 453.5 points during the session, while the market breadth remained almost evenly balanced with 2,088 shares advancing, 2,052 declining and 174 unchanged, indicating selective buying and selling patterns across different segments.
Sectoral performance showed mixed trends with metal stocks declining 1% and private banks falling 0.5% being the primary drags on the market. However, realty stocks gained 1% and consumer durables rose 0.45%, providing some support to the broader indices. As reported by market data, selling pressure in banking, metal and pharma stocks was largely offset by buying in FMCG, IT and realty stocks. The divergent performance across sectors highlighted selective buying and selling patterns based on specific industry dynamics and market sentiment during the volatile trading session. Data centre operators also advanced, with IREN gaining nearly 10% and Applied Digital rising 4.9%, while Nebius Group jumped 34% after reporting better-than-expected second-quarter results. IT stocks were up 0.4%, while financial stocks came under pressure with Nifty Financial Services and Nifty Bank each declining 0.4% as investors worried that the RBI's proposed loan-pricing norms could squeeze banks' lending margins.
Among Nifty 50 stocks, InterGlobe Aviation, NTPC, Bharat Electronics, Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Unilever and Eternal were among the winners, while ICICI Bank, Titan, Reliance Industries, UltraTech Cement and Infosys were among the major laggards. InterGlobe Aviation emerged as a top performer, while Hindustan Unilever and Eternal also showed strong gains. On the losing side, Reliance Industries declined after MSCI reduced the company's weight in its key index, putting pressure on the heavyweight stock and limiting gains in the broader market. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹1,002.50 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data, adding to the cautious sentiment in the market.
Commodity markets showed mixed performance with Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, declining 1.44% to $87.70 per barrel, providing some relief to India, one of the world's largest crude importers. Gold futures for December delivery down 0.51% or ₹22.75 to $4,444.75 per troy ounce. Crude oil for September delivery fell 2.09% or ₹1.74 to hit $81.53 per barrel, while the October Brent oil contract declined 1.94% or ₹1.73 to trade at $87.25 per barrel. USD/INR was up 0.14% to 95.46, while EUR/INR rose 0.21% to 110.11. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.12% at 99.78, signalling positive sentiment for global markets despite the mixed commodity performance. As per market experts, elevated crude oil prices remain a key overhang, with geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East preventing a stronger risk-on move.
Technically, 24,450 is seen as immediate resistance for the Nifty, while 24,300 remains a crucial support level. According to market data, trading remained volatile amid the weekly expiry of BSE derivatives contracts. The broader market remained resilient, with both the Nifty Midcap and Smallcap indices ending with gains of 0.15% and 0.3% respectively, outperforming the benchmark indices. On the NSE, falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones by 1,301 to 1,268, with 44 ending unchanged, while on the BSE, 2,053 rose and 2,015 declined, with 176 ending unchanged. The US Dollar Index (DXY) was down 0.12% to 99.77, while the US 10-year bond yield fell 0.68% to 4.660, signalling positive sentiment for global markets. However, India's retail inflation also emerged as a domestic factor after data released on Wednesday showed consumer prices accelerated to 4.45% in July, which remained within the Reserve Bank of India's tolerance band but continued to assess its implications for monetary policy. Market experts note that the market continues to exhibit resilience but lacks a strong directional trigger, with elevated crude prices and geopolitical uncertainty keeping domestic investors cautious.
