Indian markets head into Friday’s session on a cautious note, with GIFT Nifty signalling a flat-to-negative start after Sensex and Nifty snapped their winning run in Thursday’s trade. Here’s everything you need to know about markets this morning, 28 August 2026.
📈 Indian Stock Market Today
The Nifty 50 closed Thursday’s session down 116.90 points (-0.48%) at 24,090.85, while the Sensex fell 539.35 points (-0.7%) to settle at 76,933.59, dragged by weakness in metal, PSU bank and cement counters. GIFT Nifty is trading marginally in the red this morning, pointing to a range-bound opening, though firm closes on Wall Street overnight could lend some support to cyclical and banking names. On the sectoral front, Nifty India Defence (+0.44%) and Nifty Pharma (+0.35%) were the relative outperformers Thursday, while Nifty Oil & Gas (-0.55%), Nifty Media (-0.52%) and Nifty Auto (-0.49%) lagged. FIIs were net sellers of ₹298.30 crore in the cash segment on Thursday and remain net sellers to the tune of roughly ₹3.40 lakh crore for 2026 so far, but sustained DII buying — ₹4,977.20 crore net on Thursday alone, taking the YTD DII tally to about ₹5.17 lakh crore — continues to cushion the downside. Markets remain open for trading today despite the Raksha Bandhan holiday.
₿ Crypto Market Update
Bitcoin is holding firm near $79,300 (about ₹75.7 lakh), having pulled back slightly from this week’s highs but still up sharply from the lows seen earlier in August as investors position ahead of fresh commentary from the US Federal Reserve. Ethereum is trading around $2,499 (roughly ₹2.38 lakh), giving back some of Tuesday’s gains but holding well above its recent range. Sentiment in crypto majors remains constructive heading into the weekend, with traders watching for any surprises from Fed speakers this week.
💰 Today’s Key Rates at a Glance
| Asset | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | 24,090.85 | -0.48% |
| Sensex | 76,933.59 | -0.70% |
| Bitcoin (BTC) | ₹75.7L / $79,318 | Steady |
| Ethereum (ETH) | ₹2.38L / $2,499 | -2.3% (24hr) |
| Gold (10g, 24K) | ₹1,62,970 | Flat |
| Silver (1kg) | ₹2,60,000 | Flat |
| USD/INR | ₹95.42 | Rupee near 10-month low volatility |
| Crude Oil (Brent) | $87.20 | +0.30% |
📰 Top 5 Financial News Stories This Morning
- GIFT Nifty points to a cautious open. Futures are trading slightly in the red, suggesting Indian benchmarks could open flat-to-lower even as global cues stay broadly supportive — keep an eye on how FII flows and DII buying balance out through the session.
- RBI steps up efforts to defend the rupee. The central bank is drawing on stronger foreign-deposit inflows to bolster its intervention capacity, and near-term rupee volatility has eased to close to a ten-month low, offering some stability for importers and FPI flows alike.
- Wall Street closes higher, led by Nvidia. The S&P 500 (7,673.04, +0.42%), Dow (53,195.36, +0.83%) and Nasdaq (26,168.46, +0.39%) all advanced Thursday, extending a Nvidia-led rally after the chipmaker’s strong revenue guidance lifted sentiment across tech and semiconductor stocks globally.
- Crude firms on Middle East de-escalation. Brent crude is trading near $87.20, up roughly 6% over the past month, after Iran and Oman reached an agreement on revenue-sharing in the Strait of Hormuz — easing a key geopolitical risk that had kept oil markets on edge.
- Stocks trading ex-dividend today. Paras Defence, Honasa Consumer and Whirlpool of India go ex-dividend on 28 August — today is the last day to buy these counters if you want to be eligible for the declared payouts.
🔍 What to Watch Today
Markets will track fresh commentary from US Federal Reserve officials this week for clues on the rate path, along with GIFT Nifty cues at the open. With FIIs still net sellers on a YTD basis, watch whether DII buying continues to absorb the selling pressure and keep intraday swings contained. Sector rotation into defence and pharma, versus weakness in auto, media and oil & gas, is also worth tracking through the session.
Data sourced from live market feeds and financial news wires. Last updated: 28 August 2026, morning IST. This is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.
