Daily market briefing — 31 Jul 2026
Indian benchmarks closed marginally higher with broad-based participation, led by next-50, auto, media, and financials, while IT and FMCG lagged.
Today's brief● AI
What actually happened, in two paragraphs.
Indian equities closed a quiet but constructive session on July 31, 2026, with the Nifty 50 at 24,383.60 (+0.27%) and the Sensex at 78,094.64 (+0.21%). Breadth was decisively positive at 1,839 advances against 1,222 declines, and India VIX eased 3.29% to 11.76, signalling compressed risk premium.
The rotation profile was notable: Nifty Next 50 (+1.31%) and broader midcap and smallcap indices (+0.44% each) outpaced the benchmark, while defensives like IT (-1.56%) and FMCG (-1.05%) underperformed. Domestic institutional flows remained the backbone of demand, with DIIs absorbing ₹2,260 crore on the day and ₹30,156 crore month-to-date, while FPI equity cash turned net positive at ₹4,793 crore.
compressed India VIX at 11.76 (-3.29%), positive breadth of 1.50, and a supportive global tone limit immediate downside; offsetting factors include firmer crude prices at 84.57/90.12, a -1.56% slide in IT, FIIs remaining net sellers at ₹-4,327 crore month-to-date, and an FPI debt outflow of ₹-369 crore.
Indian indices
Where the session closed — headline benchmarks with the day's range, then the broader market.
Sector heatmap
Every Nifty sector index, best to worst — where the rotation went.
Auto led with Nifty Auto up 1.64%, followed by Media at +2.09% and Financial Services at +1.31%. Energy (+1.09%) and Oil and Gas (+1.08%) advanced alongside firmer crude. Pharma (+0.72%) and Healthcare (+0.33%) were steady. On the downside, IT extended weakness at -1.56%, FMCG fell 1.05%, and Consumer Durables slipped 0.44%. PSU Banks (+0.47%) edged ahead of Private Banks (+0.03%), and Infra (+0.69%) and PSE (+0.49%) contributed positively.
Flows & breadth
Who was buying — and how much of the market joined the move.
Provisional FII cash was net positive at ₹+277 crore, with DII cash at ₹+2,260 crore. NSDL-reported FPI equity flows showed a firmer net inflow of ₹4,793 crore, while FPI debt was net negative at ₹-369 crore. Month-to-date, FIIs remain net sellers at ₹-4,327 crore, partially offset by DII buying of ₹30,156 crore; FPI equity cash MTD stands at ₹+6,732 crore.
Advances totalled 1,839 against 1,222 declines with 104 unchanged, yielding an advance-decline ratio of 1.50. Participation was broad and consistent with the Nifty 500 (+0.46%) and broader indices outperforming the cap-weighted Nifty 50, indicating healthy internal strength rather than narrow leadership.
Movers
The day's biggest gainers, losers, and the most traded names (NSE).
Announcements & what's next
The filings that mattered today, and the results calendar for the week ahead.
Global cues
World markets, the rupee, and commodities around the Indian close.
US benchmarks firmed overnight, with the S&P 500 at 7,484.94 (+0.64%), the Dow at 52,528.18 (+0.61%), and the Nasdaq at 25,333.17 (+0.84%). European equities were mixed, with the FTSE 100 down 0.27% and the DAX essentially flat at +0.07%. The dollar weakened against the rupee (USD/INR 95.38, -0.36%), gold held near 4,104.30 (+0.10%), silver slipped to 58.04 (-1.32%), and crude firmed with WTI at 84.57 (+1.17%) and Brent at 90.12 (+1.22%).
Tomorrow's watchlist● AI
Levels, events and flows to keep an eye on next session.
The MarketPing Score of 81/100 reflects a Strongly Bullish posture driven by falling volatility, broad-based participation, and a turn positive in FPI equity flows. Near-term watchpoints include the trajectory of crude, durability of DII demand against residual FII selling, and IT earnings momentum into the August results calendar beginning with APL Apollo, Aarti Surfactants, and AMJ Land on August 1.
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