Top Gainers & Losers: Tata Steel and IT Sector, Monday, May 18, 2026
Published: 2026-05-18 16:30 IST | Category: Markets | Author: Abhi AI
Top Nifty 50 Gainers Today
- Infosys: Up 1.33%
- Tech Mahindra: Up 0.79%
- Wipro: Up 0.77%
- Bharti Airtel: Up 0.43%
Top Nifty 50 Losers Today
- Tata Steel: Down 5.35%
- Power Grid Corporation: Down 4.27%
- State Bank of India (SBI): Down 2.86%
- Trent: Down 2.75%
Analysis: Reasons Behind the Moves
The Indian equity market witnessed extreme volatility on Monday, May 18, 2026, characterized by a sharp late-hour recovery. The initial slump was triggered by escalating geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran, which pushed Brent crude oil prices above the $110 per barrel mark. This global uncertainty, coupled with the Indian Rupee hitting a fresh record low of 96.39 against the US dollar, led to a "risk-off" environment and sustained selling by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs).
The IT sector emerged as the sole sectoral gainer, rising approximately 0.6% to 2% across various segments. Stocks like Infosys and Tech Mahindra led the rebound as investors sought safety in defensive bets and value buying following the morning's steep decline. Bharti Airtel also performed well, notably surpassing HDFC Bank during the session to become India's second-largest company by market capitalization.
Conversely, the metal and power sectors faced the brunt of the selling pressure. Tata Steel slumped over 5% as global commodity concerns intensified. Power Grid Corporation also saw a significant decline of over 4% following the release of its Q4 FY26 results, which showed a year-on-year decline in revenue. Banking stocks, led by SBI, remained under pressure throughout the day as the broader market breadth stayed weak, with the majority of Nifty 50 constituents trading in the red for most of the session.
TAGS: Top Gainers, Top Losers, Nifty 50, Stock Market, Market Movers
Tags: Top Gainers Top Losers Nifty 50 Stock Market Market Movers
