Market snapshot
Equities: Thursday close
Indian benchmarks closed higher on 18 June. The Nifty 50 ended at 24,168.00, up 82.30 points or 0.34%. The Sensex closed at 77,409.98, up 254.36 points or 0.33%. Bank Nifty closed at 57,963.80, up 378.75 points or 0.66%.
The Nifty opened flat at 24,074 and finished near the day’s high after a sharp move up in the final 30 minutes. Broader markets also rose. India VIX fell 3.94% to 12.67, which points to lower expected near-term volatility. Market breadth was positive, with 305 advances and 199 declines on the Nifty 500. The advance-decline ratio was 1.53.
| Index | Close | Day % |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | 24,168.00 | +0.34 |
| Sensex | 77,409.98 | +0.33 |
| Bank Nifty | 57,963.80 | +0.66 |
| Nifty Next 50 | Not provided | +0.47 |
| Nifty 100 | Not provided | +0.37 |
| Nifty 500 | Not provided | +0.42 |
| Midcap 150 | Not provided | +0.47 |
| Smallcap 250 | Not provided | +0.67 |
| India VIX | 12.67 | −3.94 |
Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 18 June 2026 close
Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 18 June 2026 close.
Sectors: Most indices closed higher
Ten of the twelve sector indices closed in the green. Realty led the market with a 0.69% rise. Bank and PSU Bank each rose 0.66%. Pharma, Media, Energy, Consumption, Infra, FMCG and Auto also closed higher.
Metal was almost flat at -0.01%. IT fell 1.19%, making it the weakest sector of the day. The weakness in IT was linked to the Fed’s hawkish stance.
Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 18 June 2026 close.
F&O: Gainers and losers
MAXHEALTH, NYKAA and ADANIPOWER were the top F&O gainers. INFY, NBCC and LTF were the main losers.
Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 18 June 2026 close.
Commodities: Gold, silver and crude fell
MCX commodities were mostly weak. Gold fell 2.11% to ₹1,50,636 per 10g, and silver fell 3.35% to ₹2,43,362 per kg. Crude oil fell 1.76% to ₹7,032 per barrel and was down 11.75% for the week. Natural gas rose 0.54% to 298.9.
Base metals also closed lower. Copper, zinc, lead, aluminium and nickel all fell during the session.
| Commodity | LTP | Day % |
|---|---|---|
| Gold, ₹/10g | 1,50,636 | −2.11 |
| Silver, ₹/kg | 2,43,362 | −3.35 |
| Crude, ₹/bbl | 7,032 | −1.76 |
| Natural gas | 298.9 | +0.54 |
| Copper, ₹/kg | 1,325.85 | −0.92 |
| Zinc, ₹/kg | 368.8 | −0.35 |
| Lead, ₹/kg | 203.5 | −0.78 |
| Aluminium | 358.2 | −0.13 |
| Nickel, ₹/kg | 1,711.7 | −0.63 |
MCX figures are front-month futures as of report time. The session closes at 11:30pm. Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 18 June 2026 close
Currency and yields
USD/INR Futures settled at 94.3850, down 0.1675. In the spot market, the rupee settled 10 paise higher at 94.40 against the dollar on 18 June.
Indian government bond yields were slightly lower at the short and long ends. The 2-year yield fell 5 bps to 6.051%, the 5-year yield was unchanged at 6.477%, and the 10-year yield fell 2 bps to 6.842%.
US yields moved higher in the prior session. The US 2-year yield rose 15 bps to 4.200%, and the US 10-year yield rose 6 bps to 4.490%.
| Indicator | Level |
|---|---|
| USD/INR Futures | 94.3850 |
| India 2Y | 6.051% |
| India 5Y | 6.477% |
| India 10Y | 6.842% |
| US 2Y | 4.200% |
| US 10Y | 4.490% |
Zerodha AfterMarket Report; Mint, 18 June 2026 close
Institutional flows
FIIs were net buyers of ₹102 crore. They bought ₹14,806 crore and sold ₹14,705 crore. DIIs were net buyers of ₹1,561 crore. They bought ₹16,612 crore and sold ₹15,050 crore. Combined net inflows were ₹1,663 crore.
Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 18 June 2026 close.
Thematic movers
Textiles was the strongest theme, rising 4.75%. Yarn rose 3.16%, and Aviation rose 2.65%. Insurance-related themes also moved up, with General Insurance rising 2.43%, Insurance rising 2.22%, and Life Insurance rising 2.15%.
Zerodha AfterMarket Report; Tijori themes, 18 June 2026 close.
Macro view
Inflation and energy: WPI rose sharply in May
Wholesale inflation rose to 9.7% in May 2026. WPI tracks wholesale prices, so it gives a view of the prices faced earlier in the supply chain.
Fuel and power inflation rose to 30.3%. This was up from 24.9% in April and 3.2% in March. Crude petroleum inflation was 61.5%. May was also the first release under the revised WPI series, with 2022-23 as the base year and a 957-item basket.
Mint; Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 19 June 2026.
Mint; Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 19 June 2026.
Mint; Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 19 June 2026
Energy policy: Centre weighs rollback of fuel-sale curbs
The Centre is considering a rollback of emergency fuel-sale curbs that were imposed during the West Asia conflict. The review follows the US-Iran peace deal, but New Delhi will wait for more clarity on implementation before removing the restrictions.
This matters for India because the country imports nearly 90% of its crude oil. Every $1 rise in crude over a year adds roughly ₹18,000 crore to the import bill.
Mint; Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 19 June 2026
Other macro data points
- Indigenous defence production was ₹1.78 trillion in FY26, up 15.6%.
- Female labour force participation fell 1.5 percentage points to 36.7% in rural areas. Urban female labour force participation was largely unchanged at 24.8%.
- The government ratified an 8.25% EPF interest rate for 2025-26.
- RBI cancelled the licence of Shree Mahalaxmi Urban Co-operative Credit Bank.
Mint; Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 19 June 2026
Trade and current account: Trade deficit stayed high, but April current account moved into surplus
India’s trade deficit stayed elevated at $28.2 billion in May for the second straight month. A trade deficit means imports were higher than exports.
Excluding crude and petroleum products, the deficit narrowed to $14 billion from $19.4 billion in April. Crude and petroleum imports rose 54% year-on-year to nearly $23 billion.
India recorded a current account surplus of $4.7 billion in April. In April 2025, the current account had shown a deficit of $4.8 billion. The current account improves when a country earns more from exports, services and transfers than it pays out.
| Indicator | Latest reading |
|---|---|
| Trade deficit, May 2026 | $28.2 billion |
| Trade deficit excluding crude and petroleum products | $14 billion |
| April figure excluding crude and petroleum products | $19.4 billion |
| Crude and petroleum imports | Nearly $23 billion |
| Crude and petroleum import growth | +54% y-o-y |
| Current account balance, April 2026 | $4.7 billion surplus |
| Current account balance, April 2025 | $4.8 billion deficit |
Mint, 19 June 2026
Mint, 19 June 2026.
Direct taxes: Collections rose as of 17 June
Net direct tax collections rose 14.64% year-on-year to ₹5.21 trillion as of 17 June. Gross collections rose 12.46% to ₹6.10 trillion.
Corporate tax net collections rose 22.48% to ₹2.08 trillion. Securities transaction tax receipts rose 44.9% to ₹188.56 billion.
| Tax indicator | Latest reading |
|---|---|
| Net direct tax collections | ₹5.21 trillion, +14.64% y-o-y |
| Gross direct tax collections | ₹6.10 trillion, +12.46% |
| Corporate tax net collections | ₹2.08 trillion, +22.48% |
| STT receipts | ₹188.56 billion, +44.9% |
Mint, 19 June 2026
Mint, 19 June 2026.
State finances: Liabilities rose in FY25
Combined liabilities of all 28 states rose 10.5% year-on-year to ₹90.5 trillion in FY25. States’ debt worsened to 28.5% of GDP from 28.3%.
The CAG report noted that 18 states breached the 15th Finance Commission’s fiscal deficit limit of 3% of GSDP in FY25. A fiscal deficit means the government spent more than it earned during the year.
Mint; CAG, 19 June 2026
Policy and diplomacy: India-UK CETA to take effect on 15 July
The India-UK CETA and the accompanying social security pact will come into force on 15 July.
India secured steel-export safeguards under the deal. Around 85% of India’s steel exports to the UK will remain outside Britain’s new measures. Only around $137 million of exports will be covered by the safeguard regime.
The deal is projected to increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion.
Mint, 19 June 2026
Infrastructure financing: India in talks with World Bank and ADB
India is in talks with the World Bank and ADB for about $2.5 billion from existing credit lines. This includes about $1.5 billion from the World Bank and about $1 billion from ADB.
The housing and urban affairs ministry is working on a scheme to fund on-site worker housing through the labour welfare cess. It is also considering the use of air rights for developers over public infrastructure.
Mint, 19 June 2026
Corporate action and earnings
NSE IPO
NSE filed its draft red herring prospectus with Sebi. The issue is entirely an offer for sale. Shareholders will divest around a 6% stake, estimated at about ₹29,780 crore, or more than $3 billion. This implies a valuation above ₹5 trillion.
NSE’s FY26 revenue from operations fell 3% to ₹16,601 crore. Net profit fell 15.5% to ₹10,302 crore. Operating margin fell to about 67% from around 74%.
LIC is retaining its 10.72% stake.
Mint, 19 June 2026
Corporate moves
| Company | Development |
|---|---|
| Bata India | Bata India shares rose more than 16% after the board appointed Sanjay S. Rao as MD and CEO. The appointment is effective from August or October. Rao joins from Nike. The stock closed 16.5% higher at ₹790.45 on BSE. |
| L’Oréal and Innovist | L’Oréal agreed to acquire a majority stake in Indian personal-care company Innovist. Innovist’s brands include Bare Anatomy and Chemist at Play. The deal size was not disclosed. The founders will retain minority stakes and continue to run the business. |
| JBM Auto | JBM Auto group firm JBM Ecolife Mobility secured a ₹750 crore long-term investment from Motilal Oswal Alternates. The funds will be used to deploy about 2,000 e-buses. |
| HDFC Bank | RBI approved a 90-day extension for Keki Mistry as interim part-time chairman of HDFC Bank. The extension runs until 18 September or until a regular chairman is appointed, whichever comes earlier. |
| Tata Motors | Tata Motors will raise commercial-vehicle prices by up to 2.5% from 1 July. This will be the second price increase in three months. |
| Waterways Leisure Tourism | Waterways Leisure Tourism, which operates Cordelia Cruises, will launch a ₹585 crore IPO. The price band is ₹769-808, and the subscription window is 23-25 June. |
| Asahi Group | Asahi Group entered India through a franchise tie-up with Varun Beverages for the CALPIS brand. |
| Wipro | Wipro will buy an additional 20% stake in Aggne Global for $2.1 million. |
| KKR | KKR is in advanced talks to buy a majority stake in Medicover’s India arm for at least $1 billion. |
Mint, 19 June 2026
Fundraising
| Entity | Plan |
|---|---|
| SBI | SBI’s board approved raising up to ₹60,000 crore in FY27 through debt instruments. |
| Punjab & Sind Bank, UCO Bank, Indian Overseas Bank | The Centre plans to raise about ₹13,000 crore through an 8-10% coordinated offer for sale in Punjab & Sind Bank, UCO Bank and Indian Overseas Bank. |
| Bank of Baroda | Bank of Baroda is preparing a roughly $500 million five-year dollar bond. |
Mint, 19 June 2026
Mint Money: Gold imports
India’s gold imports fell about 70% to 25-30 tonnes after the import duty on gold and silver was raised to 15% from 6%. The increase took effect on 13 May.
In value terms, gold imports rose 34% year-on-year to $3.41 billion in May because prices were higher.
Mint Money, 19 June 2026
Global pulse
Global markets: Mixed moves across regions
US markets closed lower in the prior session. The S&P 500 fell 1.21%, the Nasdaq fell 1.34%, and the Dow Jones fell 0.98%.
Europe was mixed. The FTSE 100 fell 0.92%, while the DAX rose 0.12% and the CAC 40 rose 0.11%.
Asia-Pacific markets were also mixed. Nikkei 225 rose 1.65%, Hang Seng fell 1.59%, KOSPI rose 2.25%, and SGX STI rose 0.70%.
Mint Global; Stooq; Zerodha, 19 June 2026.
US indices reflect the prior session close.
Mint Global; Stooq; Zerodha, 19 June 2026
US Fed: Rates held, dot plot turned hawkish
The Federal Reserve voted unanimously to keep the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5-3.75%. This was the fourth consecutive hold.
The dot plot turned more hawkish. Nine of the 18 policymakers expected at least one rate hike by the end of 2026. Six policymakers projected two 25-bps increases.
The US Dollar Index climbed above 100.7, its highest level since May 2025.
Mint Global, 19 June 2026
Bank of England: Rate held at 3.75%
The Bank of England voted 7-2 to keep its benchmark rate unchanged at 3.75%. Two members favoured a 25-bps hike.
The central bank said energy prices had come down but remained elevated and volatile.
Mint Global, 19 June 2026
Oil and Strait of Hormuz
WTI crude fell to around $75 per barrel, its lowest level since early March, after a US-Iran agreement aimed at ending the conflict.
The 14-point MoU calls for a halt to hostilities, a 60-day negotiating window, and the restoration of maritime traffic to pre-war levels within 30 days.
Three Saudi-flagged supertankers carrying 6 million barrels of crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on 18 June.
Mint Global, 19 June 2026
Accenture, Apple and other global corporate updates
Accenture narrowed its full-year revenue growth forecast to 3-4% in local currency. New bookings were $19.3 billion, down from $19.7 billion a year ago. Revenue rose 6% year-on-year to $18.7 billion.
Accenture stock fell nearly 12% in pre-market trading. Mint reported that it fell 18% to a nine-year low intraday. ADRs of Cognizant fell 9%, Infosys fell 8%, and Wipro fell 6%.
Mint Global, 19 June 2026.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said price increases are unavoidable because memory and storage chip costs are rising sharply. The pressure is coming from higher DRAM and NAND demand linked to AI servers. TechInsights estimates that passing on the higher cost could add about $270 to the next iPhone Pro.
Apple has also agreed to work with Intel to design and manufacture chips in the US, based on comments from President Trump.
BHP Group will take a $2.3 billion writedown on its Jansen potash project in Canada. It also raised the phase-two cost estimate to $6.9 billion from $4.9 billion.
Meta expanded teen-account protections across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger globally for users aged 13 and above.
Microsoft has built a large business selling OpenAI models to Chinese companies.
Mint Global, 19 June 2026
Upcoming events
Corporate actions: Ex-date
| Ex-date | Security | Corporate action |
|---|---|---|
| 18 June | TATATECH | Dividend, ₹8.35 |
| 18 June | JSWINFRA | Dividend |
| 18 June | VIMTALABS | Dividend, ₹2 |
| 18 June | HDBFS | Dividend, ₹2 |
| 18 June | GHCL | Dividend, ₹12 |
| 18 June | EMUDHRA | Dividend, ₹1.25 |
| 18 June | 773GS2034 | Interest payment |
| 18 June | CAPITALSFB | Dividend, ₹5 |
| 19 June | SANOFICONR | Dividend, ₹75 |
| 19 June | HDFCLIFE | Dividend, ₹2.10 |
Zerodha, 19 June 2026
Economic calendar
The calendar figures below show the previous reading only. Outcomes are not yet released.
Mint Global; Stooq; Zerodha, 19 June 2026.
Management chatter
Coforge: FY30 vision
“For starters, it’s not terribly ambitious. All that we are saying is that we will continue the growth rate that we’ve been on for the last nine years. If all we do over the next four years is one acquisition of about $500 million and just maintain the rate that we’ve been on, we should by FY30 have a $5 billion organisation.”Sudhir Singh, MD & CEO, Coforge
Zerodha Management Chatter
HCL Tech: R&D and the Sarvam partnership
“HCL Tech probably spends the highest in R&D among the IT services firms… But obviously, we did not invest in building a model. But it’s never too late, and this partnership really offers an excellent opportunity to fill that gap. It’s not an exclusive partnership… Sovereign AI and air-gapped solutions for corporations who need it, especially in regulated industries.”C Vijayakumar, CEO & MD, HCL Tech
Zerodha Management Chatter
Apple: Memory-chip cost pressure
“Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable. We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us… but the situation has become unsustainable.”Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
The Wall Street Journal, via Mint Global
Friday feature: How America’s Anthropic ban could pop the AI bubble
Vested Finance, 17 June 2026
Export-control order
The US Department of Commerce issued an export-control directive citing national-security authorities. The directive suspended access to Anthropic’s two newest models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for any foreign national.
The order applied whether the foreign national was inside or outside the United States. It also included foreign-national employees of Anthropic.
Anthropic’s response
There was no realistic way to verify nationality in the middle of a conversation. Anthropic therefore switched both models off entirely, for everyone, less than three days after launching them.
The directive came two days after Dario Amodei had publicly argued for binding AI regulation instead of voluntary safety pledges.
The trigger
Amazon, which has invested roughly $13 billion in Anthropic and also competes in cloud computing, found a way to jailbreak Fable 5 past its safety filters. CEO Andy Jassy took the issue to Washington.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick cited the risk that the flaw could reach intelligence operatives in China or Russia. The administration says Anthropic was told to fix the jailbreak or pull the model and chose neither. Anthropic disputes that account.
A researcher known as “Pliny the Liberator” published what they claimed was the model’s hidden system prompt within 48 hours.
The backdrop
OpenAI’s GPT 5.5 reportedly had comparable weaknesses but was not affected by the action.
The move came after a year of friction between Anthropic and the Trump administration. Anthropic had refused to allow its models to be used for domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. The Pentagon had branded the company a national-security supply-chain risk.
Disputed severity
Senator Mark Warner relayed that NSA and Cyber Command leaders said Mythos broke into almost all of their classified systems in hours.
Vulnerability researcher Katie Moussouris described Amazon’s findings differently. She said they were a handful of previously known, minor issues.
Helen Toner of Georgetown’s CSET argued that demanding zero jailbreak risk before allowing foreign nationals near a frontier model is close to telling a company to stop AI research. Much frontier AI talent is not American.
Allied fallout
The order made no exception for allies. Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, the other Five Eyes members, lost access along with Russia, China and Iran.
Britain’s AI Security Institute was built to test frontier models for these kinds of risks, but it was locked out of the model it would have tested.
Security staff from Nvidia, Zoom and Mercedes-Benz signed an open letter seeking a reversal. The European Commission also weighed in.
Software export controls and the boomerang effect
The order shows a new form of export control. Instead of stopping physical chips from moving across borders, software access was switched off remotely.
The case was compared with 1990s encryption controls and China’s rare-earths squeeze.
France is shifting civil-service work to Mistral. Mistral is said to be in talks to nearly double its valuation to around €20 billion. France’s domestic intelligence agency also dropped Palantir for Chapsvision.
Canada’s Cohere says government and enterprise interest has risen.
India angle
Anthropic had become one of India’s largest markets within months of launching locally. The shutdown reopened the question of how much of India’s AI future should depend on infrastructure that a foreign government can switch off.
Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu called it a wake-up call. Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai pushed for a much better-funded IndiaAI Mission.
TCS works with Anthropic, OpenAI and Mistral. Tech Mahindra and Wipro lean on Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI.
The money question
Anthropic was reportedly valued near $900 billion. The company had planned to run Fable and Mythos at a subsidised cost for about two weeks before moving paid users to usage fees. The shutdown happened in the middle of that window.
Anthropic and OpenAI are both reportedly moving toward public listings later this year. Deutsche Bank’s Jim Reid pointed to the risk that access can be switched off. Enterprises are now adding the question “could access be pulled overnight?” to vendor selection.
Where it leaves things
The episode does not sink Anthropic. Claude’s older models kept running throughout. Betting markets lean toward Fable and Mythos returning within weeks.
The closing point of the article is that the smartest AI model is only as useful as the access one is allowed to keep.
By the numbers
| Figure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Around $13bn | Amazon’s reported investment in Anthropic |
| Around $900bn | Anthropic’s reported valuation |
| Around €20bn | Valuation Mistral is said to be in talks to reach, nearly double |
| Around 2 weeks | Planned subsidised run for Fable and Mythos before usage fees |
| Less than 3 days | Time from launch to both models being switched off |
| 48 hours | Time within which a claimed hidden system prompt was published |
Vested Finance, 17 June 2026
Editorial note: This feature is a factual summary of reporting by Vested Finance, published 17 June 2026. Figures, claims and characterisations are attributed to that source and are not independently verified by DayStarter.
The day at a glance
| Indicator | Reading |
|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | 24,168.00, up 0.34% |
| BSE Sensex | 77,409.98, up 0.33% |
| Bank Nifty | 57,963.80, up 0.66% |
| India VIX | 12.67, down 3.94% |
| WPI inflation, May | 9.7% |
| Fuel and power inflation, May | 30.3% |
| Crude oil, MCX | ₹7,032, down 1.76% |
| WTI crude | Around $75 per barrel, lowest since early March |
| FII net | +₹102 crore |
| DII net | +₹1,561 crore |
| Combined net inflows | +₹1,663 crore |
| Trade deficit, May | $28.2 billion |
| Current account, April | $4.7 billion surplus |
| Net direct tax collections | ₹5.21 trillion, up 14.64% |
Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 18 June 2026 close; Mint, 19 June 2026
Closing thought
“Risk means more things can happen than will happen.”Howard Marks
Compiled from the Zerodha AfterMarket Report, 18 June 2026 close data; Mint, Mumbai edition, 19 June 2026; and Vested Finance, feature story, 17 June 2026. DayStarter by Devraj is a news aggregation for finance students and professionals. This is not investment advice. Markets data reflects Thursday, 18 June 2026 close. Market data sourced via NSE, BSE and MCX.