Stock market prediction on Monday, 21 September, 2026: The Indian stock market is likely start on a negative note on Monday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East over the weekend.
Asian markets opened mixed on Monday, while US stock futures rose slightly higher.
Sensex, Nifty: What happened on last week?
The Indian stock market closed the truncated trading week in negative territory, led by elevated crude oil prices and rising global bond yields. Concerns about the near-term inflationary impact of higher energy costs and their potential implications for economic growth continued to weigh on investor sentiment.
Among the key benchmark indices, the Sensex fell 0.65% to end at 74,294.46, while the Nifty declined 0.22% to settle at 23,346.40. The broader midcap and smallcap indices remained largely flat after a volatile week, taking a pause following several weeks of strong performance.
“Indian equity markets remained volatile during the week, with the Nifty 50 extending its weekly losing streak to six consecutive weeks, marking its longest such stretch since 2020. Although the benchmark staged a recovery toward the end of the week, supported by bargain buying following recent oversold conditions, broader sentiment remained cautious as WTI crude oil prices stayed above the $95-per-barrel mark, global bond yields remained elevated and the U.S. Federal Reserve adopted a tighter monetary policy stance,” said Ponmudi R, CEO – Enrich Money.
Sensex, Nifty prediction for today: Sensex, Nifty outlook
Gift Nifty today
Gift Nifty was trading around the 23,320 level, down nearly 58.50 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a negative start for the Indian stock market indices.
Sensex
The BSE Sensex ended at 74,294.96, down 19.63 points or 0.03%. The index opened at 74,575.24 and moved between an intraday high of 74,728.44 and a low of 74,294.96. Despite opening higher, the benchmark traded largely in a narrow range before finishing marginally lower, indicating subdued buying interest.
Sachin Gupta, VP – Technical Research at Choice Equity Broking Private Limited, said the Sensex is expected to remain range-bound, with the 73,500–73,700 region serving as a key support zone. According to him, sustained buying above 74,600 could pave the way for a recovery towards 74,800–75,000, while a break below 74,000 could intensify selling pressure. Traders should keep an eye on key OI levels and await a clear breakout or breakdown before initiating fresh directional positions.
Nifty 50
On the Nifty 50 outlook, Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research at Religare Broking, said the 23,000–23,100 range remains a key support zone for the index after six consecutive weeks of declines.
According to Mishra, a decisive breach of this support range could trigger further weakness towards 22,400–22,600. On the upside, 23,600 is likely to act as an immediate resistance level, followed by the 23,900–24,200 zone.
US markets performance
US stock futures edged higher on Sunday evening after the Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded its third consecutive weekly decline. S&P 500 futures gained 0.23%, while Nasdaq-100 futures advanced 0.27%. Dow futures also rose 0.25%.
The Dow dropped 1.7% last week, marking its steepest weekly decline since March. The S&P 500 slipped around 0.1%, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq bucked the trend, gaining 0.7% over the week.
Crude oil prices
Oil prices declined on Monday as investors focused on the potential recovery in Saudi Arabian shipments, despite continued attacks by Yemen-based Houthis that have heightened tensions in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the US and Iran remained locked in a stalemate.
Brent crude futures fell 81 cents, or 0.78%, to $103.06 a barrel, extending the decline after settling 0.91% lower on Friday. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 89 cents, or 0.89%, at $99.41 a barrel, following a 1.58% drop in the previous session.
South Korea’s Kospi index performance
Stocks opened higher on Monday, supported by gains in major technology stocks, although elevated oil prices and continued tensions in the Middle East kept investors cautious. The benchmark Kospi rose over 1%, to 6,963 in early trade on 21 September.
Korean stocks had gained 2.66% in the previous session on Friday, as easing concerns over inflation improved investor sentiment.
Japan’s Nikkei index performance
The Japan stock market is closed on Monday for a holiday.
Taiwan stock market
Taiwan’s stock market continued its upward trajectory, with TAIEX index trading 0.54% higher at 47,435 on 21 September.
Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
