Nifty shrugs off weak global cues to end flat

Small caps continue to remain vulnerable

May 18, 2026

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Markets Today

Nifty opened with a gap down of 161 points at 23,482, tracking weak global cues as rising bond yields continued to spook markets, while persistent geopolitical tensions kept crude oil prices elevated. The index saw sharp selling in the opening minutes, slipping toward the 23,320–23,350 zone within the first hour.

However, the early weakness was gradually bought into, with Nifty recovering steadily through the late morning session. The index reclaimed the 23,450 mark by around 11 AM and extended gains toward the 23,550 zone by 11:30 AM.

After a small dip, momentum strengthened further as buying interest remained firm. Nifty climbed steadily toward the 23,600 mark after 12:30 PM and stayed largely range-bound near the day’s highs through most of the afternoon, with only minor pullbacks in between.

A brief spike in the final hour pushed the index toward the 23,680-690 zone before it eventually closed the day flat at 23,649.95.

The session was marked by a weak and volatile start, followed by a strong intraday recovery, with sustained second-half buying helping the index erase opening losses and ending in positive territory.

Sectoral Indices Performance

Winners & Losers

Commodities

FII / DII Flows

Here’s the trend of FII-DII activity from the last 5 days:

Thematic Indices

Tijori’s niche indices, where today’s move sorts pockets of the market beyond standard sector baskets. You can also track the Promoter buying and other interesting stuff, like Capex activity by the companies in the Tijori App’s idea dashboard

Change in OI for the day

The following is the change in OI for Nifty contracts expiring on 19th May:

The maximum Call Open Interest (OI) is observed at 24,000, followed by 23,800, indicating potential resistance at the 23,800 -23,900 levels.
The maximum Put Open Interest (OI) is observed at 23,400, followed by 23,500, suggesting support at 23,500-23,400.

Note: OI is subject to multiple interpretations; however, generally, an increase in Call OI indicates resistance in a falling market, while an increase in Put OI indicates support in a rising market.

Source: Sensibull