Comprehensive Market Report: Fear Sentiment Dominates as Global Markets Show Mixed Performance
Current Market Status – Live Updates
Market Sentiment Overview
The Fear & Greed Index currently stands at 37.59, firmly in the “Fear” territory, representing a significant increase from last week’s reading of 19.67. This shift indicates growing caution among investors, suggesting it may be time to “wait for market direction” according to traditional sentiment indicators.
Sensex: 81,644.39 (+370.64, +0.46%) – Previous close
Bank Nifty: 55,865.15 (+130.25, +0.23%)
India VIX: 11.79 (-4.46%)
USD/INR: 87.11 (+0.03%)
Global Market Snapshot:
S&P 500: 6,340.00 (-0.08%)
Dow Jones: 43,968.64 (-0.51%)
Nasdaq: 21,242.70 (+0.35%)
Nikkei 225: 42,845.36 (-1.61%)
Hang Seng: 25,032.04 (-0.36%)
DAX: 24,192.50 (+1.12%)
FTSE 100: 9,100.77 (-0.69%)
“Speculators often prosper through ignorance.” – Benjamin Graham
The current fear sentiment reflects broader market uncertainty as investors await key economic developments and navigate mixed global performance across major indices.
Global Commodities Market
Energy Sector
Crude Oil (WTI): $65.68/barrel (-0.92%) – Four consecutive sessions of losses
Brent Crude: Trading around $76.34/barrel
Natural Gas: Elevated prices due to geopolitical tensions and cold weather
Precious Metals
Gold: Holding slightly lower as traders await Powell’s Jackson Hole speech
Silver: Positioned for potential gains but dependent on industrial demand
Copper: Recently hit record highs, trading at elevated levels
Maximum Call OI: 57,000 strike (23.23 lakh contracts)
Maximum Put OI: 57,000 strike (12.92 lakh contracts)
Strong Call writing: 56,500 strike
Strong Put writing: 55,700 strike
Advance/Decline: 09 advances vs 03 declines
Top Bank Performers:
Federal Bank: +2.18%
Canara Bank: +2.13%
IDFC First Bank: +1.99%
Underperformers:
HDFC Bank: -0.62%
AU Small Finance Bank: -0.4%
IndusInd Bank: -0.4%
Futures Activity: Long & Short Buildup
Long Buildup (Rising OI & Prices)
Exide Industries: +31.63% OI change
Sona BLW Precision: +7.95% OI change
Suzlon Energy: +6.46% OI change
One 97 Communications (Paytm): +5.89% OI change
Delhivery: +4.96% OI change
Short Buildup (Rising OI, Falling Prices)
Mahindra & Mahindra: -6.08% OI change
HDFC Bank: -4.3% OI change
Hindalco Industries: -4.06% OI change
AU Small Finance Bank: -3.25% OI change
IndusInd Bank: -2.51% OI change
Corporate News & Developments
Major Corporate Actions
IDFC First Bank: Board approved preferential allotment raising approximately ₹2,623 crore through convertible preference shares, significantly strengthening the bank’s capital position.
Lloyds Metals and Energy: Successfully secured the Tandsi-III and Tandsi-III Extension coking coal mine with a 10.5% premium bid, adding 23 million metric tonnes of estimated reserves across 338 hectares.
Servotech Renewable Power: Secured substantial ₹28.84 crore order for grid solar power plant supply, installation, testing and commissioning for Northwestern Railway’s Jaipur Division.
Dynamic Cables: Received BIS license for manufacturing specialized conductors and cables, with production capacity increase enabling monthly turnover growth from ₹100 crore to ₹135 crore.
HDFC Bank: Received credit rating upgrade from S&P Global to BBB/Stable/A-2 from previous BBB-/Positive/A-3 rating.
NTPC: Two projects declared commercially operational – 212.5 MW solar project and 52.8 MW wind project, both in Gujarat.
Regulatory & Legal Updates
Vedanta: Subsidiary Bharat Aluminium Company received ₹80.96 lakh penalty from Income Tax Department for assessment year 2012-13.
Tata Steel: Faces ₹1,902.73 crore demand notice from Deputy Director of Mines regarding alleged mineral dispatch shortfall, prompting legal challenge in Orissa High Court.
Medplus Health: Subsidiary Optival Health Solutions received three drug license suspension orders for stores in Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Key Market Developments
Policy & Economic Updates
Cabinet approved purchase of 97 LCA Mark 1A jets worth ₹62,000 crore from HAL.
Online Gaming Bill 2025 proposes a ban on money-based online games, with heavy fines for violations.
India-China Relations: Both countries restart ties with border trade reopening, direct flights returning and easier visas.
Global Focus: UK and Eurozone inflation data and US Fed minutes due on Wednesday.
Market Dynamics
Treasury yields for both 10-year and 2-year bonds moved higher
Dollar index extended its rise, ahead of the Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole symposium
Asian currencies dropped against the US dollar, with Philippine Peso leading the fall
Crude oil prices steadied after reports of lower US stockpiles and news around Ukraine-Russia truce talks
Gold prices held slightly lower as traders awaited Powell’s speech later this week
FII & DII Activity
Foreign Institutional Investors (FII)
Last 30 Days: Net sales of ₹54,985.9 crore
Last 2 Weeks: Net sales of ₹18,319.6 crore
Last Week: Net sales of ₹5,654.7 crore
Tuesday, Aug 19: Net sales of ₹634.3 crore
Monday, Aug 18: Net purchase of ₹550.8 crore
Domestic Institutional Investors (DII)
Last 30 Days: Net purchase of ₹1,01,205.9 crore
Last 2 Weeks: Net purchase of ₹50,746.7 crore
Last Week: Net purchase of ₹15,884.4 crore
Tuesday, Aug 19: Net purchase of ₹2,261.1 crore
Monday, Aug 18: Net purchase of ₹4,103.8 crore
Analysis: DIIs continue to provide strong support to Indian markets, offsetting consistent FII selling pressure.
Current IPO Pipeline
Active IPOs
Company
Open Date
Close Date
Price Range (₹)
Size (₹ Cr)
Studio LSD Ltd
Aug 18, 2025
Aug 20, 2025
51-54
74.25
LGT Business Connextions
Aug 19, 2025
Aug 21, 2025
107-0
28.09
Patel Retail Ltd
Aug 19, 2025
Aug 21, 2025
237-255
242.76
Shreeji Shipping Global
Aug 19, 2025
Aug 21, 2025
240-252
410.71
Gem Aromatics Ltd
Aug 19, 2025
Aug 21, 2025
309-325
451.25
Vikram Solar Ltd
Aug 19, 2025
Aug 21, 2025
315-332
2079.37
Mangal Electrical Industries
Aug 20, 2025
Aug 22, 2025
533-561
400
Banned Securities
Currently, Titagarh Rail Systems and RBL Bank are in the ban list for derivatives trading.
Market Fundamentals & Analysis
Technical Analysis – Nifty 50
Current Technical Picture:
Support Levels: 24,730 (stop-loss), 24,330 (breakdown level)
A Limit Order is an instruction to buy or sell a financial instrument at a specific price or better. Unlike market orders, limit orders allow investors to set a precise price at which they are willing to trade, providing more control over the execution price at the cost of potentially slower or incomplete trade execution.
Example
If a stock is currently trading at ₹100, an investor might place:
Buy limit order at ₹95: Order executes only if price drops to ₹95 or lower
Sell limit order at ₹105: Order executes only if price rises to ₹105 or higher
Benefits & Trade-offs
Benefits: Greater precision, risk management, potentially improved costs Trade-offs: May not execute if specified price isn’t reached, slower execution
Traders typically use limit orders when they have specific price targets or want protection from unfavorable price movements.
Today’s Economic Calendar – Extended
India Economic Events – Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Scheduled Releases:
Morning: Industrial Production data (if scheduled)
Afternoon: Any RBI communications or policy updates
Corporate Earnings: Several companies reporting Q1 FY26 results
Key Monitoring Points:
FII/DII flow data
Rupee volatility against dollar
Bond market movements
Commodity price impacts on inflation
United States Economic Events – Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Major Events:
2:00 PM ET (11:30 PM IST): FOMC Minutes Release ⭐⭐⭐
High impact on USD, bonds, and global equity markets
Focus on interest rate outlook and economic assessment
Key for September rate cut expectations
Secondary Events:
Weekly Petroleum Status Report: Oil inventory data
Fed Officials Speeches: Various regional Fed presidents
Treasury Auctions: 10-year note auction results
Global Economic Events
Europe:
UK: Retail sales data and inflation updates
Eurozone: Preliminary PMI readings
Germany: IFO Business Climate Index
Asia-Pacific:
Japan: Trade balance data
China: Industrial production and retail sales
Australia: Employment figures
This Week’s Key Events
Thursday: Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole speech (Major market mover)
Focus on high-volume stocks with clear technical patterns
Watch for FOMC minutes reaction at 2:00 PM ET
Monitor currency movements closely
Use tight stop-losses in volatile environment
For Swing Traders:
Look for oversold quality stocks
Sector rotation opportunities
Currency hedging strategies
Momentum plays in trending sectors
For Long-term Investors:
Buy quality stocks on dips
Dollar-cost averaging in systematic investment plans
Focus on companies with strong fundamentals
Diversification across asset classes and geographies
Conclusion & Key Takeaways
Bottom Line Up Front
Markets are navigating a complex environment characterized by fear sentiment (Index: 37.59), mixed global performance, and anticipation of critical Fed communications. While Indian markets show resilience with strong domestic institutional support, global uncertainties around monetary policy, trade tensions, and economic growth continue to weigh on investor sentiment.
Key Market Developments
Indian Markets: Showing relative strength despite global headwinds, supported by robust DII inflows
Global Equities: Mixed performance with tech weakness offsetting European gains
Commodities: Oil under pressure from supply concerns, gold awaiting Fed clarity
Currencies: Dollar strength persisting, emerging market currencies under pressure
Crypto: High volatility with Bitcoin pulling back from records amid risk-off sentiment
Critical Events to Watch
Today: FOMC Minutes release at 2:00 PM ET
Thursday: Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole speech
This Week: Global PMI data and economic indicators
Investment Implications
The current environment favors cautious optimism with a focus on quality investments, defensive positioning, and tactical allocation adjustments based on evolving monetary policy signals. Long-term investors should consider the current market volatility as an opportunity to accumulate quality assets at reasonable valuations.
Risk Management
Given the elevated uncertainty, investors should maintain diversified portfolios, implement appropriate hedging strategies, and remain flexible to adjust positions based on evolving market conditions and policy developments.
Disclaimer: This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Cryptocurrency and forex trading involve substantial risk. Please conduct your own research and consult with financial advisors before making investment decisions.
