Indian equities eked out a narrowly mixed close on Wednesday: the Sensex added 152 points to 78,581 while the Nifty barely budged, settling at 24,624, as the RBI's widely expected decision to hold rates steady pushed buyers into rate-sensitive autos, realty and metals even as private banks dragged the headline index.

How India closed

• Nifty 50: 24,624.65, up 9.75 pts (+0.04%) — Business Standard.
• Sensex: 78,581.00, up 152.05 pts (+0.19%) — Business Standard.
• Nifty Bank: the standout laggard, easing roughly 0.4% as private lenders underperformed.
• Broader market: Nifty Midcap 100 +0.18%, Nifty Smallcap 100 +0.76% — breadth beat the benchmarks.

The driver was the RBI: the MPC held the repo rate at 5.25% and kept a 'neutral' stance, projected FY GDP growth at 6.7% and trimmed its inflation forecast to 5% from 5.1%. Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the bank is "neither dovish nor hawkish," leaving the door open but offering banks no fresh rate-cut fuel.

Sectors & movers

Rate-sensitives led: Nifty Auto, Realty and Metal outperformed on festive-season demand hopes, supportive financing and a firmer growth outlook — NSE Auto tagged a fresh peak and realty names ran up around 3%. On the other side, the Nifty Private Bank and Nifty Bank lagged as traders booked profits with no cut to spur credit. Top Nifty gainers were Shriram Finance, Grasim and JSW Steel. Stock-specific: LIC's OFS opened to retail; auto-ancillaries Fiem and Varroc rallied up to 15%; JTL Industries fell ~3% despite Q1 profit nearly doubling; Paisalo Digital posted a 30% profit rise — on a heavy Q1 results day (Aurobindo Pharma, Biocon, PB Fintech, Power Grid, Cummins).

Flows, currency & commodities

• FII/DII: Wednesday's provisional flows were not yet published at press time; in the prior session (Aug 4) FIIs were net buyers of ~₹2,446 cr while DIIs net sold ~₹936 cr.
• Rupee: firmed to about 94.9 per dollar, aided by the drop in crude (Wise/MTFX).
• Crude: Brent slipped below $80 (from ~$82) and WTI traded near $75 as US-Iran/Hormuz tensions eased.
• Gold: around $4,080/oz (Trading Economics).

Global now

Europe is trading higher — Stoxx 600 +0.4%, DAX +0.6%, FTSE +0.4%, CAC +0.1%. US futures point firmer (S&P +0.4%, Dow +0.2%) after Monday's powerful Wall Street session (S&P +1.8%, Nasdaq 100 +3.3%), with peace hopes around the Strait of Hormuz lifting risk appetite. Asia closed strong: Nikkei +3.7%, Shanghai +1.5%, Hang Seng +0.3%.

Data on the radar

India's set-piece today was the RBI decision (hold at 5.25%, neutral; GDP 6.7%, CPI 5%). Overnight the US delivers ISM Services PMI for July (consensus near 54.5) and the June trade balance; ADP private payrolls land Wednesday, all building toward Friday's non-farm payrolls — the week's main event for Fed-cut odds.

Sentiment & what to watch

The global tape is risk-on — cheaper crude, de-escalation hopes and a buoyant Wall Street/Asia — while India was muted at the index level but positive under the hood. Watch whether banks stabilise now that the rate path is clear, how ISM Services and ADP shift Fed-cut expectations, whether crude holds under $80, and the flood of Q1 earnings for guidance cues.

As of 4:00 PM IST, Aug 5, 2026. Sources: Business Standard, India TV News, MarketScreener, Trading Economics, Benzinga. Automated market wrap for discussion and education only — not investment advice. Verify before acting.