The cues for Indian markets are a mixed bag this morning. The Asian markets are trading on a higher note, and US Futures are flat. However, crude oil prices continue to trade above $90. The GIFT Nifty is indicating a positive start for Indian markets. It is up 115 points or 0.48%.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Nifty 50 closed the session 0.32% lower at 24,078, while the BSE Sensex closed 0.42% lower at 76,909.

Key global and domestic cues for August 20, 2026

Asia-Pacific markets traded on a higher note, tracking gains on Wall Street after US Treasury yields slipped from multi-year highs. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.07%, while the Topix rose 0.57%. The Kospi advanced 4.48%, while the small-cap Kosdaq added 1.95%.

On Wednesday, the US stock market closed on a higher note as it announced to repurchase longer-term US bonds to correct the rout. The S&P 500 index advanced 0.21% to close at 7,707.98, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.16% to 26,331.09. The 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average added 119.65 points, or 0.22%, and settled at 53,463.05.

The US Treasury Department announced to more than double the buyback of 10-, 20- and 30-year bonds in the next few months. That comes after the 30-year Treasury bond yield spiked to its highest level in nearly 20 years earlier this week.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield — which notched a new 19-year high of above 5.33% — declined more than 10 basis points to 5.184%. The 10-year Treasury note yield dropped more than 6 basis points to 4.637%.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 0.02% to trade at $85.81 per barrel. On the other hand, Brent crude futures were trading 0.34% higher at $91.93, above the psychologically important level of $90. On COMEX, crude prices traded 0.02% lower at $85.81 a barrel.

On COMEX, the precious metal was trading at $4,563.90 an ounce, up 0.41%.

The rate for 24-carat gold today is Rs 1,58,100 per 10 grams. The price of gold has risen 2.47% from yesterday. The 24 kt gold rate today in Delhi is Rs 1,57,830 per 10 grams. The 18-carat gold price today in India is Rs 1,18,575. The 24-carat gold rate in Dubai today is Rs 1,49,590.

On COMEX, Silver prices traded 1.94% higher at $67.10 per troy ounce.

In India, the silver rate rose 1.95% to Rs 2.37 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 buyers of shares worth Rs 407.99 crore. On the other hand, the Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of shares worth Rs 3,973.72 crore on August 19, 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 0.08% higher at 98.87. 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 appreciated 0.07% to close at 95.76 to the dollar on August 19.

The Consumer Durables sector’s stocks surged the most in Wednesday’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%.