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By Dalal Street Investment Journal (DSIJ)
Indian equity benchmarks extended gains for a fifth straight session on June 18, with the Nifty 50 rising 0.34% and the Sensex adding 254 points. Banking stocks led the rally as investors rotated away from IT shares following the Fed’s hawkish stance. Falling crude oil prices, a stronger rupee, and gains in HDFC Bank and SBIN supported sentiment.
The Nifty 50 and Sensex closed at a 6-week high on Thursday, June 18. With this, the Nifty 50 extended its rally for the fifth straight session, for the second time in 2026. Over the last five trading sessions, the index has gained nearly 4.4%, led by Bank Nifty as investors rotated away from IT shares after the Federal Reserve signalled that rates could still move higher later this year.
The Nifty 50 opened flat on Thursday and touched an intraday low of 24,036.95. As the session progressed, the index gained momentum and surged over the 24,100 mark and closed above the 24,150 mark.
At close, the Nifty 50 settled at 24,168, up by 82.30 points, or 0.34%. The Sensex also ended with a gain of 254.36 points, or 0.33%, to close at 77,409 on Thursday. The Indian fear gauge index, India VIX, declined by nearly 3.5% to hit a fresh 15-week low.
The Niftybank index was up 0.66%, outperforming the benchmark Nifty 50. The Nifty PSU Bank index gained 0.66%, while the Nifty Private Bank index advanced 0.49%.
The gains came after the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged but projected the possibility of further policy tightening later this year. The Fed's stance triggered a rotation away from rate-sensitive growth sectors globally, while financial stocks found support.
Among individual banking stocks, SBI rose 1.58%, while HDFC Bank gained 1.51%, Axis Bank added 0.68% and HDFC Life rose 1.63%.
Brent fell below $78 per barrel on Thursday, extending its decline toward the lowest levels since early March following reports that the US and Iran digitally signed their interim peace agreement.
The Indian rupee rallied to a six-week high on Thursday for a second consecutive day, after exporter flows and offshore dollar selling reversed the morning's losses sparked by a hawkish Federal Reserve outcome.
The rupee hit an intraday high of 94.17 to the U.S. dollar, the highest since May 7.
On the sectoral front, 9 out of 11 key sectoral indices ended in positive territory. Meanwhile, broader indices such as the Nifty Midcap 100 index surged by 0.41%, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index jumped by 0.44%.
On Thursday, the Nifty Realty index closed in the green, up 0.69%, emerging as the top-gaining sector. The index has gained nearly 11% in the last five trading sessions.
On the flip side, the Nifty IT index emerged as the top loser, falling by 1.19%. The index snapped a 3-day winning streak.
Stock-Specific Highlights: Nykaa and NIACL Remained in Focus
Among individual stocks,
Nykaa shares rally 6.10% to a 52-week high on ₹5 billion (in GMV) FY30 Growth Vision.
New India Assurance Company (NIACL) shares jumped over 8% as the insurer plans to sell over 1 crore NSE shares in an IPO.
The key drivers of the index gains were:
HDFC Bank: +39.70 points
State Bank of India (SBI): +14.57 points
Max Healthcare Institute: +10.40 points
On the other hand, these stocks weighed on the index:
Infosys: -23.11 points
Reliance Industries: -6.77 points
Larsen & Toubro: -4.51 points
As of June 18, 2026, the market breadth was in favour of advancing stocks. Out of 3,384 stocks traded on the NSE, 1,909 advanced, 1,384 declined, and 98 remained unchanged.
A total of 133 stocks touched their 52-week highs, while 25 stocks hit their 52-week lows. Additionally, 136 stocks were locked in their upper circuits, whereas 66 stocks were locked in lower circuits.
Source: NSE, DSIJ
SEBI Registered Research Analyst (INH000006396).
Founded in 1986, Dalal Street Investment Journal (DSIJ) brings decades of experience in India’s equity markets. DSIJ's research combines fundamental analysis with price action, guided by disciplined risk management and capital preservation. They follow a structured, data-driven approach designed to help investors and traders make informed decisions beyond short-term market noise.
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