With the afternoon session in full swing, Nifty 50 is holding firmly above the 24,600 mark while Sensex trades over 200 points higher, and Bitcoin continues to hover near ₹61.6 lakh even as crypto sentiment stays cautious. Here’s your 2 PM markets update for Thursday, 6 August 2026.
📈 Afternoon Session: Market Snapshot
Indian equity benchmarks are trading with a positive bias this afternoon. The BSE Sensex is up around 201 points (+0.25%) near 78,782, while the Nifty 50 is holding above 24,600, adding roughly 16 points from Wednesday’s close of 24,624.65. Momentum remains cautiously bullish, with technical analysts flagging that holding above key support levels is crucial for sustaining the move, given mixed global cues. Broader markets are mixed — the BSE Smallcap Select Index is up 0.45% to 9,008, while the Midcap Select Index is marginally lower. IT and select largecaps are leading: HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Asian Paints, Reliance and Infosys are today’s top gainers, with HCL Tech up over 1.3%. On the losing side, Power Grid is the worst performer, down over 1.5%, dragging along M&M, Adani Ports, Maruti and Axis Bank. Market breadth stayed positive through the session, with advancers comfortably outnumbering decliners on the NSE. On the institutional flows front, the latest available data (4 August) showed FIIs net buying ₹2,446 crore in cash while DIIs were net sellers of ₹936 crore — FIIs remain on a multi-day buying streak even as they trim index-futures longs, a sign of selective profit-booking.
₿ Crypto at 2 PM — Live Prices
Bitcoin is trading around $64,500 (₹61.6 lakh), up roughly 0.5% over 24 hours, while Ethereum has outperformed, up nearly 1.8% to about $1,905 (₹1.82 lakh). The total crypto market cap sits at $2.29 trillion, up 0.9% on the day. Sentiment, however, remains shaky — the Crypto Fear & Greed Index slipped to 25 (“Extreme Fear”) from 27 a day earlier, even as prices ticked higher. The bigger story today is the sharp 38.7% crash in DeFi market cap to $62.1 billion and a 5% drop in stablecoin capitalisation to $301.9 billion, both reflecting thin liquidity and risk-off positioning ahead of key macro triggers. On the institutional side, Citigroup is expanding its digital-asset desk and Circle has renewed its Coinbase partnership, underscoring continued Wall Street interest despite the cautious retail mood.
💰 Live Rates — 2 PM IST
| Asset | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | ~24,640 | +0.06% vs prev close |
| Sensex | ~78,782 | +0.25% vs prev close |
| Bitcoin (BTC) | ₹61.6L / $64,500 | +0.5% (24hr) |
| Ethereum (ETH) | ₹1.82L / $1,905 | +1.8% (24hr) |
| Gold (24K, 10g) | ₹1,45,910 | Firm, near record high |
| Silver (1kg) | ₹2,40,100 | Steady, near ₹2.4L |
| USD/INR | ~₹95.55 | Range-bound (95.50-95.68) |
| Crude Oil (Brent) | ~$79-80/bbl | Fluctuating below $80 |
📰 Top 5 Financial News Stories of the Day
- Infosys picks Ashiss Kumar Dash to lead the company — India’s second-largest IT services firm has named Ashiss Kumar Dash for its top leadership role, a move being closely watched by investors ahead of the company’s next growth phase amid a tepid global IT spending environment.
- US pays out $100 billion in tariff refunds after Supreme Court ruling — US customs has confirmed $100 billion in repayments after the Supreme Court struck down Trump-era IEEPA tariffs, triggering a political row over who ultimately benefits from the refunds and what it means for ongoing trade negotiations.
- FSSAI bans flavoured liquor brands including Old Monk, McDowell’s No.1 — The food safety regulator’s move has created confusion among consumers and distributors, with popular brands like Royal Challenge, Antiquity Blue and Bagpiper also caught in the crackdown; the sector awaits regulatory clarity.
- Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath flags limitations in new Consolidated Account Statement (CAS) — Kamath noted India has over 13 crore registered investors but only 20-30 lakh actively trade daily, cautioning that the CAS rollout needs refinement to be genuinely useful for tracking holdings across brokers.
- Mixed Q1 earnings season continues — Hindalco’s Novelis beat estimates on volumes, Aurobindo Pharma matched forecasts on 27% European growth, but Power Grid missed estimates and Cummins India posted its lowest operating margin in 10 quarters alongside its MD’s resignation. Kalyan Jewellers, meanwhile, posted a 32% jump in quarterly profit.
🌐 Global Markets & Tomorrow’s Outlook
Asian markets are taking a breather today after Wednesday’s AI-driven rally, with Japan’s Nikkei down over 1% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng falling around 1.7%, as crude oil trades in a tight range. Investors are watching progress on a possible deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which could ease oil supply concerns, alongside upcoming US jobs data and Fed commentary that will shape rate-cut expectations. For Indian markets, the domestic backdrop remains supportive, but stock-specific action driven by the ongoing Q1 earnings season is likely to dominate over broad index moves tomorrow, with any dips toward support levels expected to attract selective buying.
Data sourced from live market feeds and financial news reports. Last updated: 2:00 PM IST, 6 August 2026. This is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.
