A fresh jump in global bond yields plus $93 crude soured risk appetite overnight, dragging Wall Street down more than 1% — yet GIFT Nifty is up 38 points, hinting India opens muted-to-firm as value buyers step in after a seven-session slide.

US: prior close (Thursday)

Rising Treasury yields dented risk appetite and disappointing Walmart results soured the mood. The Dow fell 703.84 pts (-1.32%) to 52,759.21, the S&P 500 lost 0.87% to 7,641.16 and the Nasdaq dropped 1.00% to 26,067.17 (Business Today).

Asia: live now

Most Asian indices are heading for weekly falls as global bond-market stress persists. Nikkei 225 slipped ~0.9%, the Kospi eased ~1%, and Hang Seng was little changed (futures near 25,696 vs a 25,698 close). China's Shanghai traded flat-to-soft (CNBC).

Europe

Verified closing levels for the DAX, FTSE 100 and Euro Stoxx 50 were not available at press time (n/a); the region traded under the same bond-yield pressure weighing on Asia and the US.

India cue

GIFT Nifty +38 pts (+0.16%) at 24,331 points to a muted, flat-to-slightly-positive Nifty open (Business Today). Support sits at 24,150; resistance is 24,250–24,350 (Angel One). India VIX cooled to 10.76. FPIs net sold ₹583 cr Thursday while DIIs bought ₹3,538 cr (NSE provisional).

Commodities, currency & yields

• Brent ~$93.12 (-0.7% overnight, but +5% on the week); WTI ~$86.18 — elevated crude is an inflation/import headwind for India.
• Gold ~$4,513/oz, steady and +3.1% for the week, holding record territory.
• Dollar index 98.80 (down ~0.9% on the week — mildly rupee-supportive); US 10Y yield ~4.7%, near a 20-month high. USD/INR: n/a.

Global sentiment

Risk-off. The single driver is stress in long-dated global bonds — US 10Y near multi-month highs on deficit and AI-debt supply worries — compounded by sticky-high oil.

Data & events due today

US & global: flash S&P Global Manufacturing & Services PMIs, weekly initial jobless claims, Philly Fed index, existing home sales and the CB Leading Index — plus the Fed's Jackson Hole symposium gets under way (the Chair's keynote is the event markets are waiting on). Softer PMIs/claims would ease yield pressure and help emerging markets like India; hot prints do the opposite. India: no major scheduled macro release today; stock-specific flow (sugar, IT, banks) drives the tape.

Headlines moving stocks

• Sugar: Govt cleared 1 MT of duty-free sugar imports ahead of the festive season — watch sugar names.
• SEBI now lets FPIs use digitally-signed power of attorney for faster onboarding (from Aug 20).
• Walmart's weak results and rebounding US yields set the cautious overnight tone.

What it means for the India open

Expect a muted, cautious start with a mild recovery bias — value buying after seven down sessions and Thursday's rebound supports sentiment, but elevated crude, high US yields and FII selling cap the upside. Watch 24,150 support and the 24,350 resistance; a decisive move either way sets the day's direction.

As of 08:46 IST, Fri 21 Aug 2026. Sources: Business Today, CNBC, Trading Economics. Automated pre-market brief for discussion and education only — not investment advice. Verify before acting.