The cues for Indian markets are negative this morning. The Asian markets are trading on a lower note, while the US Futures are flat. Crude prices jumped above $90. The GIFT Nifty is indicating a lower start for Indian markets. It is down 55 points or 0.23%.

Earlier on Monday, the Nifty 50 closed the session 0.12% lower at 24,366, while the BSE Sensex closed 0.09% lower at 78,009.

Key global and domestic cues for August 18, 2026

Asia-Pacific markets traded on a lower note, with South Korean stocks bucking the trend. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.9% while the Topix declined 0.28%. South Korea’s benchmark Kospi jumped 2% on the back of chip stocks. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures last traded at 25,355, below the benchmark’s close of 25,453.23.

On Monday, the US stock market closed on a lower note. The S&P 500 index fell 0.52% to end at 7,745.06, while the Nasdaq Composite moved 0.32% lower to 26,644.91. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 272.63 points, or 0.51%, to close at 53,459.78.

Crude oil prices surged after Iran and the US ruled out an extension of the deal that they signed in June to end the conflict.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures surged 0.31% to trade at $84.92 per barrel. On the other hand, Brent crude futures were trading 0.17% higher at $91.02, above the psychologically important level of $90. On COMEX, crude prices traded 0.50% higher at $84.92 a barrel.

On COMEX, the precious metal was trading at $4,485.70 an ounce, up 0.27%.

The rate for 24-carat gold today is Rs 1,55,930 per 10 grams. The price of gold has risen 0.87% from yesterday. The 24 kt gold rate today in Delhi is Rs 1,55,660 per 10 grams. The 18-carat gold price today in India is Rs 1,16,947.5. The 24-carat gold rate in Dubai today is Rs 1,49,590.

On COMEX, Silver prices traded 0.19% higher at $66.36 per troy ounce.

In India, the silver rate climbed 0.78% higher to Rs 2.38 lakh per kilogram.

Silver had surged to record highs in January amid geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, with heavy speculative buying pushing prices higher, but soon faced volatility.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers of shares worth Rs 2,535.10 crore. On the other hand, the Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of shares worth Rs 5,101.46 crore on August 17, 2026, according to the provisional data available on the NSE.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of six foreign currencies, was trading 0.04% lower at 99.55. The index evaluates the strength or weakness of the US dollar in comparison to major currencies. The basket contains currencies such as the British Pound, Euro, Swedish Krona, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, etc. The rupee depreciated 0.18% to close at 95.61 to the dollar on August 17.

The Consumer Durables sector’s stocks surged the most in Monday’s trade, rising 2.42% in market capitalisation. Further, Glass stocks were followed by the Telecommunications sector stocks, which were further followed by the Restaurant stocks. However, the Metals – Non Ferrous sector stocks fell the most, declining 2.46%.