Both the Nifty and the Sensex began the trading day on a steady note on July 16, 2026. Investors continued to track the US-Iran conflict and rising crude oil prices. The Nifty and Sensex gained 0.3 percent at open. The Nifty gained 83 points and opened at 24,142.10 and the Sensex gained 265 points and opened at 77,388.42. The Indian rupee opened flat at 96.25 to the dollar versus Wednesday’s close of 96.26 to the dollar. Brent Crude prices traded near 85 dollars per barrel (at the time of filing this copy). Most sectoral indices witnessed marginal gains in early trade.
benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty recovered following buying in bank stocks and softer-than-expected US inflation data, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve may adopt a less aggressive monetary policy stance in the coming months. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 130.49 points, or 0.17 per cent, to settle at 77,185.43. During the day, it jumped 591.33 points, or 0.76 per cent, to 77,646.27. The 50-share NSE Nifty went up 26.45 points, or 0.11 per cent, to end at 24,078.50. Escalating hostilities between the US and Iran, however, kept investors’ sentiment subdued in the second half of the trade, triggering profit-taking.
military launched yet another large-scale wave of precision strikes targeting military infrastructure across southern Iran, including Greater Tunb Island, a strategically important outpost in the Strait of Hormuz that has remained at the centre of a territorial dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates for more than five decades. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces concluded the latest round of strikes at 9 p.m. ET on July 15, hitting Iranian command centres, air defence positions, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities. The operation formed part of Washington’s continuing effort to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping moving through the Strait of Hormuz.