Nifty 50 opens flat after gaining over 8 points in the pre-opening session. On Tuesday, Indian indices closed lower as crude oil prices spiked with the end of the US-Iran ceasefire and renewed threats. FIIs bought equity worth Rs 1,651.5 crore, while DIIs also bought equity worth Rs 2,579.3 crore in Indian markets on the same day.

Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 open flat. Nifty Metal opens lower, while Nifty IT opens higher. 

US indices closed lower on Tuesday. European indices ended mixed. Asian markets are trading with varied trends. Meanwhile, the US paused planned 50% tariffs on Canadian goods for three days after reaching a preliminary agreement with Canada, easing some trade concerns. Brent crude oil prices traded near $92 per barrel as uncertainty over exports through the Strait of Hormuz kept supply risks in focus.

• Y Combinator-backed YC Holdings II LLC sells 1.2% stake in Billionbrains Garage Ventures for Rs 1,435.2 crore at Rs 192.2 per share.

• Oriana Power is rising as it secures a Rs 214.8 crore EPC contract from a cement industry player to set up 50 MW solar power projects in Rajasthan. The contract is to be executed within nine months.

• L&T Technology Services is rising as it secures a five-year deal worth over $75 million (around Rs 717 crore) from a global technology enterprise to provide product engineering, software development and testing services. The deal also includes setting up a dedicated engineering centre.

• Behari Lal Engineering's shares debut on the bourses at a 63.2% premium to the issue price of Rs 285. The Rs 301.6 crore IPO received bids for 108.4 times the total shares on offer.

• Pearl Global Industries MD Pallab Banerjee targets revenue of Rs 6,000 crore by FY28, supported by strong order-book visibility, new customer additions, higher wallet share and capacity expansion. He sees robust global demand and the China+1 shift creating further growth opportunities in the apparel space.

  #WATCH | What is driving Pearl Global Industries’ strong growth, and can the momentum continue through FY27?
  
  Pallab Banerjee, Managing Director, Pearl Global Industries, explains how order-book visibility, new customer additions, higher wallet share and capacity expansion are… pic.twitter.com/SvcCvAhrAJ

  — ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) August 19, 2026

• Shiprocket's shares debut on the bourses at a 35% premium to the issue price of Rs 97. The Rs 1,617.5 crore IPO received bids for 99.4 times the total shares on offer.

• Aster DM Quality Care is rising as around 5.9 crore shares (~11.3% stake), worth approximately Rs 7,800 crore, reportedly change hands in a block deal at an average price of Rs 769.8 per share.

• HG Infra Engineering is surging as it receives a letter of intent from REC Power Development and Consultancy to build two power substations and connecting lines in Uttar Pradesh.

• Supreme Industries MD MP Taparia maintains the FY27 guidance of 15–17% volume growth in plastic pipes and EBITDA margins of 14–14.5%. He expects exports to grow from $26 million to $150 million over the next 6–7 years and sees infrastructure demand picking up from October.

  #OnCNBCTV18 | Maintain volume growth guidance of 15-17% for plastic pipes in FY27, margin guidance maintained, see EBITDA margin around 14-14.5% for FY27: MP Taparia, Supreme Industries to CNBC-TV18 pic.twitter.com/ZylixivnKa

  — CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) August 19, 2026

• Mahanagar Gas, Indraprastha Gas and Adani Total Gas are rising after the Centre approves an incentive scheme for city gas distributors. From September 1, eligible companies will receive an additional 200 standard cubic metres of lower-priced domestic gas for every new billed household PNG connection above a set threshold. This gas will replace costlier imported LNG used in the CNG business, reducing sourcing costs and supporting margins. The government expects the scheme to reduce the payback period on new PNG connections to around three years from 10 years.

• Interarch Building Solutions is rising as it secures a Rs 128 crore order from an for a pre-engineered steel building manufacturing facility. The project is expected to be completed in around 10 months.

• RailTel Corporation of India is rising as it receives a Rs 166.8 crore work order from the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to extend its infrastructure services for one year. The order, including taxes, is valid until February 2027.

• Jubilant Ingrevia's board of directors approves acquiring a 40% stake in Zettaone Technologies India for Rs 189.2 crore to expand its presence in the $35-45 bn electronics development & manufacturing services (EDMS) market.

• Nifty 50 was trading at 24,118.70 (-36.2, -0.2%), BSE Sensex was trading at 77,218.05 (-17.4, 0.0%), while the broader Nifty 500 was trading at 23,435.55 (-36.9, -0.2%).

• Market breadth is in the red. Of the 2,242 stocks traded today, 1,020 showed gains, and 1,123 showed losses.

Riding High:

Largecap and midcap gainers today include Adani Total Gas Ltd. (672.50, 3.9%), Persistent Systems Ltd. (5,554, 2.1%) and L&T Technology Services Ltd. (3,571.80, 1.8%).

Downers:

Largecap and midcap losers today include Hitachi Energy India Ltd. (34,425, -2.4%), GE Vernova T&D India Ltd. (4,101.30, -2.2%) and CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd. (875.75, -2.1%).

BSE 500: highs, lows and moving averages

8 stocks overperformed with 52 week highs, while 6 stocks were underachievers and hit their 52 week lows.

Stocks touching their year highs included - Bosch Ltd. (48,950, 0.5%), HFCL Ltd. (228.81, -0.5%) and Radico Khaitan Ltd. (4,731.80, 0.0%).

Stocks making new 52 weeks lows included - Dabur India Ltd. (401.95, -0.4%) and HDFC Bank Ltd. (721, -0.3%).

6 stocks climbed above their 200 day SMA including Mahanagar Gas Ltd. (1,157.80, 4.2%) and Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd. (1,336.30, 2.6%). 9 stocks slipped below their 200 SMA including CESC Ltd. (161.27, -4.0%) and Page Industries Ltd. (36,035, -1.1%).