Indian stock market: The equity market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are expected to open lower on Monday, amid worries over the new H-1B visa fees hike by the US President Donald Trump, which is likely to impact the Indian IT companies.
Asian markets traded higher, while the US stock market notched record closing high last week, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq posting their third straight week of gains.
This week, investors will focus on key stock market triggers, including the updates on Donald Trump’s H-1B visa fee hike, new GST rates, developments over India-US trade deal, flow of foreign funds, trends in gold prices, domestic and global macroeconomic data and other key geopolitical cues.
On Friday, the Indian stock market indices ended lower, snapping their three-day winning run on profit booking.
The Sensex declined 387.73 points, or 0.47%, to close at 82,626.23, while the Nifty 50 settled 96.55 points, or 0.38%, lower at 25,327.05.
“Given the mixed backdrop — domestic policy optimism versus global uncertainty — we recommend a positive yet cautious stance. Investors should focus on resilient, domestic-facing sectors, maintain exposure selectively, and avoid aggressive long positions until clearer directional signals emerge,” said Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd.
Here are key global market cues for Sensex today:
Asian Markets
Asian markets traded higher on Monday, tracking last week’s gains on Wall Street. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rallied 1.17%, while the Topix index gained 0.58%. South Korea’s Kospi index rose 0.50%, while the Kosdaq added 0.7%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index futures indicated a flat opening.
Gift Nifty Today
Gift Nifty was trading around 25,315 level, a discount of nearly 95 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a negative start for the Indian stock market indices.
Wall Street
US stock market indices registered record closing highs for a second straight day on Friday, with trading volume hitting its highest level since April.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 172.85 points, or 0.37%, to 46,315.27, while the S&P 500 rallied 32.40 points, or 0.49%, to 6,664.36. The Nasdaq Composite closed 160.75 points, or 0.72%, higher at 22,631.48. For the week, the S&P 500 rose 1.2%, the Nasdaq surged 2.2% and the Dow Jones gained 1.05%.
Apple shares rose 3.2%, Tesla stock price gained 2.21%, Nvidia share price added 0.2%, Microsoft stock rallied 1.86%, Palantir Technologies shares surged 3.06% and Oracle share price jumped 4.06%.
FedEx shares popped 2.3%, Lennar stock price fell 4.2%, Paramount Skydance share price jumped 5.9% and Warner Bros Discovery shares rose 3.4%.
H-1B Visa Fee Hike
US President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas, effective 21 September 2025. The new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas in the US will be levied per petition and will not be applied to existing holders of valid visas re-entering the country, the White House said.
GST Rate Cut
The new Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates announced earlier by the GST Council came into effect today, Monday, September 22. The new GST rates will bring down prices of the majority of the products. The GST Council had approved revision of GST slabs from four to two (5% and 18%), plus a special rate of 40% on select items and sin goods.
India-US Trade Talks
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will visit the United States with his official team for trade talks today, September 22. On September 16, Chief US negotiator Brendan Lynch had held ‘positive discussions’ with Indian counterpart Rajesh Agrawal, the Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce, on the proposed bilateral trade agreement.
US-China Trade Talks
A group of US lawmakers on a rare visit to Beijing told China’s No.2 leader, Premier Li Qiang, that the world’s two largest economies need to step up engagement and “break the ice” as both superpowers made further inroads into stabilising ties, Reuters reported.
China LPR
China kept benchmark lending rates unchanged for the fourth consecutive month in September. The People’s Bank of China kept the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) unchanged at 3.0%, while the five-year LPR was kept at 3.5%.
Gold Prices Today
Gold prices held firm near a record high as investors awaited US inflation data and a slew of Federal Reserve speakers this week. Spot gold price rose 0.1% to $3,689.08 per ounce, while US gold futures for December delivery gained 0.5% to $3,724.50.
Crude Oil Prices
Crude oil prices traded higher amid geopolitical tensions in Europe and the Middle East. Brent crude oil prices gained 0.28% to $66.87 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 0.35% to $62.90.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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