Pre-Market Report: Indian Markets Eye Muted to Negative Opening Amid Weak Global Cues

Global Market Cues

Overnight, global markets exhibited a cautious and largely negative sentiment. US major indices closed lower for the fourth consecutive session on Wednesday, December 17, driven by rekindled concerns surrounding the artificial intelligence (AI) bubble. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.8%, the S&P 500 fell 1.2%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.5%. Notably, AI chip giant Nvidia was down 3.8%. In Europe, markets closed mixed, with London's FTSE 100 gaining 0.9%, while Frankfurt's DAX 40 ended down 0.5% and Paris remained flat. The pan-European STOXX Europe 50 Index ended flat or slightly lower. Oil prices saw a rebound after President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, while gold futures advanced 1%.

Asian markets followed suit this morning, opening lower and reflecting a risk-off sentiment. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.53%, South Korea's KOSPI dropped 1.36%, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.3%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng also traded lower.

GIFT Nifty and Domestic Cues

The GIFT Nifty futures were trading around 25,870-25,871, indicating a muted to negative opening for the Indian benchmark indices, down by 15-24 points from its previous close. As of 6:39 AM IST, the GIFT Nifty recorded a day low of ₹25860.5 and a day high of ₹25881, with an open price of ₹25924.5 against a previous close of ₹25949.5.

Domestically, Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty50, extended their losing streak for the third consecutive session on Wednesday, December 17. The Sensex dropped 120.21 points (0.14%) to settle at 84,559.65, while the Nifty50 shed 41.55 points (0.16%) to close at 25,818.55. This downturn was attributed to muted global cues, persistent FII outflows, rupee weakness, and delays in India-US trade negotiations. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remained net sellers, offloading ₹2,020 crore worth of Indian equities on Tuesday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) provided some support by buying ₹700 crore.

Key Stocks in Focus

• HCL Technologies: The global tech major has been selected as a strategic partner by ASN Bank (formerly de Volksbank), the fourth-largest retail bank in the Netherlands, for enterprise application support and service streamlining.
• Paytm (One97 Communications): Its subsidiary, Paytm Payments Services, has received authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Payment Aggregator for both physical (offline) and cross-border transactions, complementing its existing online Payment Aggregator license.
• Cyient: Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cyient Semiconductors Singapore Pte Ltd, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake (exceeding 65%) in Kinetic Technologies.
• Indian Overseas Bank (IOB): The government plans to sell up to 3% equity through an Offer for Sale (OFS), with the retail investors' portion opening today, December 18, 2025.
• NTPC Green Energy: The PSU renewable energy player has commenced commercial operations of 37.93 MW of solar capacity at its Khavda project in Gujarat.
• Titagarh Rail Systems: The company secured its first order worth ₹273.24 crore from Indian Railways for safety and signaling systems, involving the design, manufacture, supply, testing, and commissioning of Rail Borne Maintenance Vehicles (RBMV).
• AstraZeneca Pharma India: Received permission from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) to import, sell, and distribute Datopotamab Deruxtecan (Datverzo), a new cancer drug in India.
• Indian Oil Corporation (IOC): Shares will trade ex-dividend today.
• Anirit Ventures: Shares will trade ex-date for a rights issue today.
• Bandhan Bank: The stock is under the F&O ban for today.
• Swiggy: Is expected to see a weight increase of 14 basis points in the MSCI India Standard Index, effective from today's close.

Key Events to Watch Today

• The weekly expiry of Sensex derivatives contracts will be a significant event influencing market volatility.
• Globally, investors will be monitoring interest rate decisions from the Bank of England (BoE) and the European Central Bank (ECB), along with inflation and jobless claims data from the US.
• The Bank of Japan (BoJ) will begin its two-day policy meeting, with expectations of an interest rate hike to 0.75% on Friday.

TAGS: Pre-Market, Stock Market, Nifty, Sensex, Market Update

Tags: Pre-Market Stock Market Nifty Sensex Market Update