NIFTY50 gains for a third straight session on declining crude prices

The National Stock Exchange benchmark NIFTY50 index advanced for a third straight session on Friday, September 18, as sentiment remained upbeat tracking a fall in crude prices.

The NIFTY50 index touched an intraday high of 23,389 and SENSEX rose as much as 414 points led by gains in index heavyweights like HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, Adani Ports, Larsen & Toubro and Power Grid.

The NIFTY50 index advanced 76 points to close at 23,346 while the SENSEX index declined 20 points to 74,295.

Report suggested that Saudi Arabia has found alternative ways to deliver some crude shipments to Asian buyers via Oman which have helped ease fears of a more severe supply disruption from the closure of a key pipeline after Houthi attacks on it.

Back home, buying was visible across board as 11 of 15 major sector gauges compiled by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) ended higher led by the NIFTY Metal index's 1.5% gain. NIFTY Realty, Oil & Gas, Bank, Financial Services, Healthcare, Pharma and Media indices also rose between 0.5% and 1.4%.

On the other hand, auto, FMCG, IT and consumer durables shares witnessed selling pressure.

Among the individual shares, Redington jumped over 3% to hit a record high of ₹413.20 as Apple’s latest iPhone series went on sale.

ACME Solar Holdings shares surged more than 5% after the company disclosed that the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, ACME Greentech Seventh Private Limited, has successfully commissioned Phase-II of the BESS component in a project located in Rajasthan.

“ACME Greentech Seventh Private Limited has commissioned Phase-II of the BESS component, comprising 52.32 MW/209.28 MWh out of 300 MW / 1200 MWh (Discharge Capacity) of the FDRE Project located at Kelan, Rajasthan on September 17, 2026,” the company informed the stock exchanges.

Adani Ports was top gainer in the NIFTY50 index, the stock rose 4.93% to close at ₹1,824, mirroring gains in Adani Group shares after Jefferies highlighted several growth drivers across the group’s infrastructure and energy businesses.

The investment bank, in its India Forum, pointed to capacity expansion, strong transmission and port outlook, rising logistics and trading opportunities, and improving cash-flow prospects as key themes for the companies.

Adani Enterprises, Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Ultratech Cement, Apollo Hospitals and JSW Steel also rose between 1.77% and 3.3%.

On the flip side, TCS, Tata Motors PV, SBI Life, Coal India, Maruti Suzuki, NTPC, Tata Consumer Products and Sun Pharma were top losers in the NIFTY50 index.

The overall market breadth was positive as 2,388 shares ended higher while 1,154 closed lower on the NSE.