Stock Market Opening Bell: Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a negative start as it opened with a dip of 34 points at 25,078.50, compared to the previous close of 25,112.50.
Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, started the session in the red on Friday, August 22, 2025, amid weak global cues. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 49.23 points to start the session at 81,951.48; the Nifty shed 19.6 points to open at 25,064.15. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 82,000.71 and the Nifty 50 at 25,083.75. However, the broader indices also traded in the green in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap was up by 58.38 points in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap index was up by 16.42 points or 0.03 per cent to trade at 53,202.45.
From the Sensex pack, Tata Motors, Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, BEL and Mahindra & Mahindra shares were among the major gainers, with Tata Motors leading the pack by adding 0.55 per cent in the early trade today. On the other hand, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, NTPC, Adani Ports and Bajaj Finserv were among the laggards, with ICICI Bank shedding 0.66 per cent in the opening trade.
In early trade, 1,241 stocks in the Nifty pack were trading in the green, while 974 were trading in the red. Eighty-six stocks remained unchanged.
“Technically, momentum in Nifty remains positive but is flattening. Immediate resistance is placed at 25,150, and a breakout could open room towards 25,400. On the downside, support lies at 24,950, with stronger support near 24,800,” said Hariprasad K, a SEBI-registered Research Analyst and Founder of Livelong Wealth.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a negative start as it opened with a dip of 34 points at 25,078.50, compared to the previous close of 25,112.50.
Meanwhile, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned net buyers, purchasing equities worth Rs 1,246 crore on August 21. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) remained buyers, purchasing equities worth Rs 2,546 crore.
Asian Markets Today
Meanwhile, Asian stock markets remained choppy on Friday following the same trends on Wall Street. Nikkei 225 fell 29.17 points or 0.07 per cent, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 51.39 points or 0.20 per cent. Similarly, South Korea’s Kospi traded in the green with a gain of 22.73 points. Similarly, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index was up by 25.26 points or 0.67 per cent.
How did individual sectors perform?
Nifty sectoral indices traded in mixed today. While the Nifty Auto index and Nifty Pharma gained 0.23 per cent and 0.24 per cent, the Nifty IT index was down 0.07 per cent in the opening session. The Nifty Metal index shed 0.06 per cent.