Indian stock markets end flat amid mixed sentiment, investors assessing Q1FY26 earnings

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 16 (ANI): Indian stock markets ended flat on Wednesday as investors showed a mix of optimism and caution amid positive cues due to decline in retail inflation and assessment of Q1FY26 corporate earnings.
At close, the Sensex was up 52.73 points or nearly 0.1 per cent at 82,623.64, and the Nifty was up 6.4 points or 0.03 per cent at 25,202.20.
"India's macroeconomic outlook remains strong, supported by easing inflation, lower interest rates, a healthy monsoon, and softer oil prices," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited.
During the trading session on Wednesday, M&M, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra were the biggest Nifty gainers, while Shri Ram Finance, Eternal, and Sun Pharma were among losers.
Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Media indices were the top sectors for the day while Nifty Metal, along with Nifty Healthcare Index and Nifty Pharma, ended in the red zone.
"A drop in inflation in eight straight months has provided a push to the market," Nair said. On Monday, continuing its downward trend, retail inflation in India hit a new over six-year low in June, in further respite to common people.
Around 3,018 stocks traded in the day, out of which 1,663 stocks saw a rise while 1,271 stocks declined. Eighty four stocks did not see a change.
"Market breadth remained marginally positive, with the advance-decline ratio slightly favouring the bulls. Out of the Nifty 500 universe, 264 stocks ended the day with gains, indicating a cautiously optimistic undertone," said Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical and Derivatives Research, SBI Securities.
"For the Nifty index, the highest open interest on the call side is concentrated at the 25,300 and 25,500 strike prices, suggesting potential resistance at these levels. On the put side, the maximum open interest is seen at the 25,200 and 25,100 strikes, indicating immediate support zones. The Put-Call Ratio (PCR) currently stands at 0.84," according to the Markets Commentary by Ashika Institutional Equities.
Investors are also bracing themselves for the possible announcement of India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement.
India is making concrete progress toward finalising a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the United States, with both countries committed to following the path outlined by their respective leaders, a senior government official said. (ANI)