Equities Edge Higher, Rupee Steady; Bond Yields Ease

An end-of-day recap of all that transpired in the Indian markets, highlighting the major price movements and the factors driving them

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India Shares rise

By Tresha Dias

August 10, 2026 at 12:56 PM IST

Indian equities ended largely flat on Monday as corporate earnings along expected lines, and weaker-than-expected US jobs data helped ease concerns over near-term interest-rate hikes, offsetting pressure from higher crude oil prices amid persistent uncertainty over West Asia. The Nifty50 rose 13.15 points, or 0.05%, to 24,583.80, while the Sensex gained 0.06% to 78,542.44.

Trading remained choppy, with both benchmarks moving between gains and losses of around 0.3% during the session. Ten of the 16 major sectoral indices ended lower, while the broader market was mixed, with the small-cap index falling 0.3% and the mid-cap index rising 0.6%.

Sentiment received support from Asian equities after weak US jobs data reduced expectations of near-term rate hikes, potentially improving the appeal of emerging-market assets and foreign fund flows. However, Brent crude rose 1.3% to around $84.60 a barrel on uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Indian rupee ended little changed at 95.30 per dollar today, marginally weaker than its previous close of 95.2075, as likely intervention by the Reserve Bank of India offset pressure from firmer oil prices.

The yield on the 10-year government bond benchmark 6.94%, 2036 ended at 6.7643%, against 6.7651% at the previous close. Shorter-tenure bonds continued to trade slightly lower after the RBI absorbed over 1.5 trillion rupees of banking system liquidity through VRRR auctions.

Top Movers of the Day

Titan Company’s stock rose 3.22% to ₹5,100. Shares gained after Titan reported a 63% year-on-year rise in Q1 FY27 consolidated profit, supported by strong jewellery demand and higher revenue. Consumer businesses grew 41% year on year in the quarter, with jewellery growth supported by healthy festive, Akshaya Tritiya demand, and higher buyer growth.

Grasim Industries advanced 1.99% to ₹3,389. The purchase was supported by positive sentiment around its earnings outlook and the Supreme Court’s decision to set aside a ₹301.6 crore CCI penalty against the Aditya Birla Group company.

Paytm gained roughly 10.23% to ₹1,589.10 in the afternoon session. The move was supported by renewed investor confidence, strong trading activity and Bernstein’s decision to raise its price target to ₹2,200 from ₹1,500 while retaining an “outperform” rating.

Mahindra & Mahindra advanced 0.26% to ₹3,511. The rise appeared to reflect buying in auto stocks and continued confidence in the company’s SUV and tractor businesses.

Tata Steel rose 1.38% to ₹190.14.The move reflected strength across metal stocks and firmer investor sentiment toward the sector. The company’s shares rose despite regulatory and legal overhangs as investors focused on the company's better-than-expected June-quarter profit, which rose 11.6% year on year to ₹23.18 billion, supported by firmer domestic steel prices and stable Indian volumes.

Shriram Finance climbed 1.79% to ₹1,135.The stock continued to benefit from improved sentiment toward non-banking financial companies and expectations of better loan growth.

Trent rose 0.77% to ₹3,020.The stock moved higher with selective buying in consumer and retail shares.

Bajaj Finserv advanced 0.60% to ₹2,021 after recent weakness in financial stocks, supported by broader buying in the financial-services segment.

Asian Paints rose 0.49% to ₹2,748.50. The advance was modest and appeared to reflect broad market buying in large-cap consumer stocks.

BEML shares rose 5.45% to ₹1,885.30 after the company reported its June-quarter results, which showed its consolidated net loss narrowing to ₹27.01 crore from ₹64.11 crore a year earlier. Revenue increased 28% year-on-year to ₹821.19 crore, while order inflows reached ₹1,181 crore, supporting sentiment around the company's growth outlook.

Bharat Forge fell 6.76% to ₹2,112 after the company reported a 5% year-on-year decline in standalone June-quarter net profit to ₹321.4 crore, with investors focusing on weaker-than-expected earnings ahead of the company's outlook commentary.

SBI fell 2.39% to ₹1,071, giving back some of its gains from the previous three sessions, ⁠when the stock rose 5.2%. The decline came despite healthy June-quarter loan growth, suggesting investors may have booked profits after the recent rally.

PFC fell 8.31% to ₹385.10, making it one of the day's biggest large-cap decliners. Reuters attributed the sharp fall to concerns over the company's growth outlook.

Futures & Options
Nifty August 2026 futures settled at 24,662, a premium of 78.20 points to the Nifty 50 cash close of 24,583.80. The Nifty 50 rose 13.15 points, or 0.05%, while India VIX climbed 1.41% to 12.33. State Bank of India, BSE and Bharat Forge were the most actively traded individual stock futures contracts on the NSE. The August 2026 F&O series expires on Aug. 25, 2026.

Bonds
The yield on the 10-year government benchmark 6.94%, 2036 bond ended at 6.7643%, against 6.7651% at the previous close.

Shorter-tenure bonds continued to trade slightly lower after the RBI absorbed over 1.5 trillion rupees of banking system liquidity through VRRR auctions. However, foreign portfolio investors were likely buying shorter tenure bonds, switching between gilts of similar tenures, which limited losses in short-term gilts.

Forex
The Indian rupee ended little changed at 95.30 per dollar today, marginally weaker than its previous close of 95.2075, as likely intervention by the Reserve Bank of India offset pressure from firmer oil prices. Traders said the central bank's dollar sales have helped the rupee withstand higher oil prices and have begun to deter fresh short positions in the currency.

Uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz continued to weigh on sentiment after Iran said the United States must meet several demands before the key energy route can reopen. Against this backdrop, the RBI's sustained defence of the rupee over recent sessions has made traders more cautious about betting against the currency.

Crypto
The cryptocurrency market traded modestly higher today, with Bitcoin holding near $65,000 and Ethereum remaining above $1,900 as major digital assets posted small gains.

Bitcoin traded near $64,963.10 today, up 0.35% over the past 24 hours, with a market capitalisation of $1.3 trillion and 24-hour trading volume of $14.49 billion. The cryptocurrency held close to the $65,000 level as traders assessed near-term market direction.

Ethereum traded near $1,915.33 today, up 0.12% over the past 24 hours, with a market capitalisation of $231.14 billion and 24-hour trading volume of $5.75 billion. The second-largest cryptocurrency remained above the $1,900 mark as trading stayed subdued.

US Stock Futures
US stock futures were mixed today as investors assessed growing doubts over a lasting resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict in the near term. S&P 500 futures edged up 0.13%, while Nasdaq-100 futures gained 0.38%. Dow futures were trading just below the flatline.

Iran said it was closing in on a deal with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran continued to resist direct negotiations with the United States until several conditions were met. Investors were also focused on consumer and producer price inflation data due later this week for fresh clues on the outlook for inflation.

US Treasury

US Treasury note yields were little changed on Monday, with the benchmark 10-year yield holding around 4.66% after weaker-than-expected US employment data reduced expectations of a near-term Federal Reserve rate hike. Nonfarm payrolls unexpectedly fell by 23,000 in July, while downward revisions to the previous two months pointed to a weakening labour market. Markets now price in around a 44% probability of a 25-basis-point rate hike in September, down from 67% a week earlier.

Investors turned their attention to key US inflation data due this week for further clues on the Federal Reserve's policy outlook. Geopolitical tensions also remained in focus after Iran denied holding direct talks with the US despite Washington's claims that an agreement was close. Tehran continued to demand an end to the US naval blockade, the lifting of sanctions and compensation for war-related damage before any agreement.

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