With two hours left in today’s session, Nifty 50 is holding just below the flatline at 24,280 while Sensex clings to marginal gains, even as Bitcoin trades near ₹75.3 lakh and gold sits at a fresh high of ₹1.63 lakh per 10 grams. Here’s your 2 PM markets update.
📈 Afternoon Session: Market Snapshot
As of 1:00 PM, the Sensex was up 14.95 points (0.02%) at 77,671.04, while the Nifty 50 slipped 52.55 points (0.22%) to 24,280.85 — both indices paring back from Tuesday’s close of 77,656.09 and 24,334.55 respectively. The session has turned choppy after a firm morning open, with IT, FMCG, and auto counters dragging the Nifty into the red even as banking and insurance names hold up. ICICI Bank, SBI Life Insurance, and HDFC Life Insurance were the standout gainers on the Nifty 50, offsetting weakness elsewhere. On the flows front, the latest available data shows FIIs net buyers of ₹1,181.70 crore and DIIs net buyers of ₹2,493.40 crore in the cash segment, with FIIs now net buyers of roughly ₹27,186 crore for the month so far — a supportive backdrop even as the index consolidates.
₿ Crypto at 2 PM — Live Prices
Bitcoin is trading near $79,000 (about ₹75.3 lakh), having touched a three-month high of $81,200 on Tuesday before cooling off. Ethereum is changing hands around $2,478 (roughly ₹2.38 lakh). The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has climbed to 74 (Greed), up from 73 yesterday and sharply higher than last week’s 41 (Fear). The rally is being driven by roughly $1.92 billion in Bitcoin ETF inflows this week, alongside dollar weakness and growing optimism around clearer US crypto regulation.
💰 Live Rates — 2 PM IST
| Asset | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | 24,280.85 | -0.22% |
| Sensex | 77,671.04 | +0.02% |
| Bitcoin (BTC) | ₹75.3L / $79,000 | ~-2.7% from Tue high |
| Ethereum (ETH) | ₹2.38L / $2,478 | ~flat |
| Gold (10g, 24K) | ₹1,63,900 | +0.84% |
| Silver (1kg) | ₹2,60,000 | flat |
| USD/INR | ₹95.90 | steady |
| Crude Oil (Brent) | $86.2 | -2.6% |
📰 Top 5 Financial News Stories of the Day
- TCS acquires Porsche’s MHP IT unit for $373 million — Tata Consultancy Services has bought Porsche’s IT consulting arm MHP for around ₹3,572 crore, while also securing AI-related contracts worth $1.46 billion (₹13,985 crore) from Porsche over the next five years, deepening its automotive and AI consulting footprint.
- Cipla flagged with 7 observations after USFDA inspection — The USFDA’s follow-up cGMP inspection at Cipla’s Pithampur manufacturing facility, conducted August 17–25, resulted in seven inspectional observations under Form 483, a development investors will watch for any remediation timeline or facility impact.
- Gaja Alternative Asset Management makes its market debut — Gaja Capital’s asset management arm listed on the exchanges today after raising ₹550 crore, adding a fresh name to the alternative asset management space on Dalal Street.
- ICICI Bank raises $1 billion via overseas debt — The bank tapped international debt markets for roughly ₹9,579 crore, using a swap facility for the fourth time this month as it continues to diversify its funding base.
- UCO Bank gets interim MD & CEO — The Finance Ministry has handed additional charge of UCO Bank’s MD & CEO post to Rajendra Kumar Saboo, currently an Executive Director at the bank, pending a permanent appointment.
🌐 Global Markets & Tomorrow’s Outlook
Crude oil extended its slide for a third straight session, with Brent down 2.6% to $86.2 and WTI off 2.5% to $80.3, as renewed Iran-Oman diplomatic talks raised hopes of the Strait of Hormuz reopening — a relief for India’s import bill if it holds. Globally, investors are looking ahead to fresh Fed commentary later this week for clues on the rate path, which has also been a tailwind for crypto and precious metals. For Indian markets, a steady rupee, falling crude, and healthy DII buying set up a constructive backdrop heading into tomorrow’s session, though IT and FMCG weakness bears watching if it persists.
Data sourced from live market feeds. Last updated: 2:00 PM IST, 26 August 2026. This is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.
