Indian benchmarks split at Thursday's close: the Sensex snapped a two-day losing streak even as the Nifty 50 logged a third straight down day, with metal and cement heavyweights offsetting an otherwise broad-based recovery, as reported by Business Standard.

How India closed

• Sensex: 78,079.96, +113.61 pts (+0.15%) — 19 of 30 constituents advanced, led by IndiGo.
• Nifty 50: 24,395.85, −40.10 pts (−0.16%) — capped by Hindalco, UltraTech and Grasim.
• Bank Nifty: ~57,597, −0.50% (Kotak Neo), with ICICI Bank a notable drag.
• Nifty Midcap100 +0.15%, Smallcap100 +0.27% — the broader market stayed firm.

Sector-wise, the Nifty Metal index was the worst performer (−~0.8% to about 13,068), while chemicals led the gainers; pharma, private banks and infrastructure each slipped around 0.5%. Metals cooled after OPEC+ trimmed its 2026 demand outlook and global-growth jitters lingered.

The day's big story: Tata

Tata group stocks steadied on Thursday after a bruising Wednesday, when the pack shed nearly ₹44,000 crore in market value — TCS alone accounted for about 81% of the fall, dropping ~3.7% — following news that Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran will not seek reappointment when his term ends on Feb 20, 2027. Most Tata names eked out small gains on Thursday, recovering from the knee-jerk reaction (Business Standard).

Money flows, currency & commodities

• FII / DII: provisional flows showed foreign investors as net sellers (~₹1,003 cr) with domestic institutions again absorbing the supply (net buyers ~₹5,842 cr).
• USD/INR: the rupee was a touch softer near 95.3 as the dollar held firm (Trading Economics / FXStreet).
• Crude: Brent snapped a six-day rally, quoted around $88/bbl (−~1%) after OPEC+'s softer demand forecast — a relief for import-heavy India.
• Gold: little changed after a strong run earlier in the week.

Global now

Europe was mostly higher in afternoon trade — Stoxx 600 +0.18%, Germany's DAX +0.44%, France's CAC +0.23%, Italy's FTSE MIB +0.69% — while the UK's FTSE 100 slipped 0.27%. US futures pointed modestly higher (Dow +0.18%, S&P 500 +0.14%, Nasdaq-100 near flat). Asia had closed firm: Japan's Nikkei rose ~1.75% (to about 68,727) and South Korea's Kospi surged ~4% on a Samsung / SK Hynix-led chip rebound; Hong Kong's Hang Seng was roughly flat (CNBC, Business Standard).

On the data radar

India's July retail inflation (CPI) came in around 4.45%, nudged up by food prices; the July WPI print is due next. Tonight the US releases PPI for July (forecast +0.2% m/m vs −0.3% prior) and weekly jobless claims (forecast ~202k), plus Fed speakers — the first wholesale-inflation read after an in-line CPI. Friday brings US July retail sales (forecast +0.1%).

Sentiment & what to watch

The mood was cautiously constructive: a softer US inflation print and an Asian tech rebound kept global risk appetite intact, but India stayed range-bound as metals and banks capped the upside. Watch tonight's US PPI and jobless claims for confirmation that price pressures are easing, Friday's US retail sales for the health of the consumer, and India's WPI print. Locally, keep an eye on further Tata Sons succession headlines and whether Brent's pullback holds — cheaper crude would ease pressure on the rupee and importers.

As of 4:05 PM IST, Aug 13, 2026. Sources: Business Standard (market close), Business Standard (Tata), Kotak Neo (Bank Nifty), Trading Economics (USD/INR), CNBC (global markets), Investing.com (US data). Automated market wrap for discussion and education only — not investment advice. Verify before acting.