Indian Markets Pre Market Report Today August 13, 2026: GIFT Nifty Slips to 24,417; US Inflation Cools, Nifty 24,500 in Focus

Indian Markets Pre Market Report Today – August 13, 2026: Indian equities are likely to begin Thursday with a cautious bias. The latest completed overnight GIFT Nifty session ended near 24,417, down 54 points or 0.22%, keeping the opening indication slightly below Wednesday’s Nifty 50 close of 24,435.95.

The global setup is mixed but not weak. US inflation came in relatively soft, helping the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finish higher. Crude oil, however, remains close to $89 a barrel, while uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz continues. Back home, the Nifty has slipped below 24,500, but buying emerged around the 24,360–24,430 area on Wednesday.

Indian Markets Pre Market Report Today: Quick Snapshot

Wednesday’s session showed an interesting divergence. Nifty and Sensex fell, but Bank Nifty gained nearly 0.8%, while DIIs bought more than ₹5,800 crore of shares. That domestic buying helped the indices recover significantly from their intraday lows.

Global Cues: S&P 500 and Nasdaq Rise After Softer US Inflation

Wall Street ended Wednesday with a positive bias after US consumer prices increased just 0.1% month-on-month in July. The reading eased some concern that the Federal Reserve would be forced to raise rates again immediately because of energy-driven inflation.

AI-related shares helped the US technology market after CoreWeave’s results reinforced confidence in spending on artificial-intelligence infrastructure. The Dow, however, ended almost flat.

European markets were weaker. The STOXX 600 slipped 0.16%, while the FTSE, DAX and CAC 40 also ended lower as investors balanced earnings updates with continued Middle East uncertainty.

For Indian investors, softer US inflation is supportive for IT and other growth stocks because it reduces the immediate risk of another Fed hike. But higher crude oil means the global backdrop is not completely comfortable.

Reuters – Global Markets: US Inflation Cools, Stocks Gain, Oil Near $89

Asian Markets: Latest Completed Session

The latest completed August 12 session showed:

• Japan’s Nikkei 225: 67,643, up around 1.61 % @7:15 AM IST
• South Korea’s KOSPI: up around 4.24%
• Shanghai Composite: 3,946.68, up around 0.5%
• Hong Kong Hang Seng: 25,440.18, down around 0.13%

South Korea was the standout market as semiconductor shares rallied sharply on renewed AI optimism. Japan also ended higher, while Hong Kong moved in the opposite direction.

For Kartalks publishing, these numbers should be updated once Japan begins trading around 5:30 AM IST and again closer to 7:00–8:00 AM when more Asian markets are active.

GIFT Nifty Latest Overnight Update

The August GIFT Nifty futures contract ended its overnight session at 24,417, down 54 points or 0.22%. It had opened at 24,418.50 in the latest contract session and traded between approximately 24,417 and 24,442.50 before closing.

A wider GIFT Nifty data feed for August 12–13 showed the contract trading as low as 24,352 and as high as 24,574.50 during the broader session.

Compared with the Nifty cash close of 24,435.95, the overnight quote is only around 19 points lower. Therefore, the current signal is flat to mildly negative, not a major gap-down setup.

Gifty Nifty latest update: 24,432 @7:15 AM IST

Global Geopolitical Update: Strait of Hormuz Still Keeps Oil Elevated

The US-Iran conflict remains the biggest external risk for Indian equities.

Talks over reopening the Strait of Hormuz remain stuck, while shipping attacks linked to the broader Middle East conflict have kept the risk premium in crude oil elevated. Iran has maintained that the strait will remain restricted unless its conditions are accepted.

Brent crude settled at $88.98 a barrel, while WTI finished at $83.27. Both contracts were only slightly higher on Wednesday after demand forecasts limited a larger rise.

For India, Brent near $90 is uncomfortable because sustained high oil can:

• Increase the import bill
• Pressure the rupee
• Raise transport and manufacturing costs
• Add to inflation
• Hurt aviation, paints, tyres and logistics companies
• Limit the RBI’s flexibility on interest rates

Upstream energy producers can benefit from higher crude realisations, but oil-consuming sectors face the opposite effect.

Previous Session Indian Market Review

Yesterday’s Post-Market Snapshot – August 12, 2026

Short takeaway: Nifty defended the 24,400 area, Bank Nifty showed relative strength, and strong DII buying remained the key support. For today, 24,500–24,600 is the important recovery zone for Nifty. 

Indian equities ended Wednesday lower for a second straight session.

The Nifty 50 slipped 0.15% to 24,435.95, while the Sensex lost 0.24% to 77,966.35. Seven of the 16 major sectoral indices ended lower. Mid-caps gained about 0.3%, while small-caps fell around 0.2%.

Today’s Technical Trading Setup

Nifty formed a small red candle with a long lower shadow, showing that buyers entered at lower levels. RSI eased to 54.81 and remained in a bearish crossover, while MACD momentum continued to soften.

The key trading message is straightforward: 24,500–24,600 is now the recovery zone. If Nifty sustains above it, the market can attempt 24,700 and then 24,800. If 24,360 fails, traders should prepare for a test of 24,250.

Bank Nifty looks comparatively healthier. Its RSI improved to 54.25, while Wednesday’s strong bullish candle kept the index above key moving averages.

Open Interest and Put-Call Ratio

The 24,500 strike carries the highest Nifty Call open interest at 89.39 lakh contracts, followed by 24,600 with 70.78 lakh contracts. This confirms that the 24,500–24,600 zone is likely to attract strong selling from option writers unless the cash market breaks higher with volume.

On the Put side, 24,000 has the largest open interest at 76.93 lakh contracts, followed by 24,300 and 24,400. Maximum fresh Put writing occurred at 24,300.

The Nifty PCR declined to 0.92 from 1.00, indicating that derivatives sentiment has cooled slightly. It is not an extreme bearish reading, but Call positioning around 24,500 remains important.

India VIX fell to 11.69, its second consecutive decline. Low VIX suggests the market is not pricing in panic-level movement despite geopolitical uncertainty.

Moneycontrol – Trade Setup for August 13, 2026

Sensex Weekly Expiry Data – August 13, 2026

Today is Sensex weekly options expiry, so traders should expect faster premium decay and sharper swings near major option strikes, particularly in the second half. BSE confirms 13 August 2026 as an available Sensex derivatives expiry. 

Important expiry-day point

Last Thursday’s Sensex expiry showed unusually large closing swings because weekly derivatives expiry coincided with the new Closing Auction Session. Reuters reported that Sensex volatility was noticeably higher around the close, while options traders faced greater uncertainty over the final cash-market settlement price. 

So today, the most useful levels to keep on screen are:

77,700 support → 78,000 pivot → 78,300 resistance → 78,500 major expiry hurdle.

For your article, I would avoid publishing an exact Sensex PCR, Max Pain or Call/Put OI number until the live August 13 BSE option chain is active, because those values can change very quickly after market opening.

FII and DII Data

Foreign institutions turned net sellers on August 12.

• FII/FPI: Net sold ₹1,002.50 crore
• DII: Net bought ₹5,841.66 crore
• Combined institutional flow: Net buying of approximately ₹4,839.16 crore

Strong domestic purchases were more than enough to offset foreign selling. This is one reason the market was able to recover sharply from its intraday lows despite weakness in Tata stocks and high crude prices.

New SEBI Updates and Their Market Impact

SEBI published a fresh circular on August 12 reviewing the inclusion of historical scenarios in stress testing for the commodity derivatives segment. This is primarily relevant to clearing corporations, commodity derivatives risk management and margin adequacy rather than directly changing how equity investors trade.

For equity traders, the more visible recent change remains the Closing Auction Session, introduced this month for eligible cash-market stocks.

The practical impact remains:

• The price seen around 3:15 PM may differ from the final closing price.
• Large institutional closing orders can affect auction price discovery.
• Cash index and futures values may briefly diverge.
• Traders should be careful with large market orders near the closing window.
• Expiry-day option positions may react differently to the final cash close.

The new mechanism is designed to improve closing-price discovery, although the first few sessions produced unusually large adjustments in Nifty closing values.

Two Fresh Growth Stocks to Watch After Q1 FY27 Results

1. Apollo Hospitals Enterprise

Apollo Hospitals reported a strong Q1 FY27 performance after Wednesday’s market session.

Net profit rose 34% year-on-year to ₹581 crore, beating the consensus estimate of around ₹562 crore. Revenue from operations increased 20.6% to ₹7,043 crore. Core healthcare services revenue grew around 22%, while hospital occupancy improved to 70% from 65% a year earlier.

Apollo also plans to add more than 5,800 beds over the next five years, on top of its existing capacity of roughly 10,000 beds.

Fundamental outlook

Positives include:

• Higher occupancy
• Demand for oncology and complex procedures
• Strong hospital revenue growth
• Pharmacy and healthcare distribution expansion
• Large planned bed-capacity addition
• Strong long-term organised healthcare demand

Risks include expensive valuations, execution cost of expansion and any regulatory pressure on hospital pricing.

Technical outlook

Apollo ended August 12 around ₹8,572–₹8,597, after falling during the regular session before results were announced. The stock traded between roughly ₹8,565 and ₹8,776

Because the strong result arrived after the close, Thursday’s opening reaction will be important. A move back above the ₹8,750–₹8,800 region with strong volume would indicate that buyers are absorbing Wednesday’s selling. Weakness below Wednesday’s ₹8,565 area would suggest the earnings were already priced in or regulatory concerns remain dominant.

Apollo Hospitals – Official Investor Relations

2. Tata Motors

Tata Motors reported improving Q1 FY27 operational performance despite rising commodity costs.

Profit increased to approximately ₹1,528 crore from ₹1,411 crore, while revenue rose 23.3% to ₹19,330 crore. Domestic volumes increased around 26% and exports around 35%.

The company expects commercial-vehicle demand to remain supported by infrastructure, logistics and higher-payload trucks. Management also plans further price increases and cost measures to offset higher aluminium and steel prices.

Fundamental outlook

Positive factors include:

• Strong commercial-vehicle demand
• Infrastructure and logistics spending
• Export growth
• Higher EV contribution
• Government and fleet orders
• Pricing power to offset commodity inflation

Risks include rising steel and aluminium costs, Middle East supply disruptions and uncertainty following leadership developments at Tata Sons.

Technical outlook

Tata Motors closed around ₹457.05 on August 12, roughly 10% below its 52-week high of ₹509.

The stock may face two opposite forces today: positive quarterly numbers and continued uncertainty around the Tata Group leadership change.

The ₹450 area is worth watching as immediate psychological support. A sustained move above the recent ₹459–₹460 zone may improve short-term momentum, while a break below ₹448–₹450 could invite further profit-booking.

Tata Motors – Official Q1 FY27 Results

IPO Update: Milky Mist, Shiprocket and Behari Lal Engineering

India’s IPO calendar remains active.

Milky Mist closes today, August 13. The mainboard issue has a price band of ₹133–₹140 and is scheduled to list on August 18.

Shiprocket and Behari Lal Engineering opened on August 12 and remain open until August 14. Shiprocket’s price band is ₹92–₹97, while Behari Lal Engineering is priced at ₹271–₹285.

Other active SME issues include Fascinate Textiles, Sham Foam, Pramodini Medicare, Q&T Foods and Credent Connect N Care.

Investors should look beyond grey-market premium and check debt, profitability, fresh issue versus offer for sale, promoter holding, cash flow and valuation before applying.

Zerodha – Latest and Upcoming IPOs

Commodity and Currency Market Update

Gold rose to a more than two-month high after the softer US CPI reduced expectations of a near-term Fed rate increase.

MCX gold traded around ₹1.55 lakh per 10 grams, while silver moved above ₹2.37 lakh per kg, with some late-session readings around ₹2.39 lakh.

The rupee remained near ₹95.4 per dollar on Wednesday. Traders reported dollar selling from state-owned banks, likely on behalf of the RBI, helping prevent a sharper decline despite Brent trading near $89.

Short-Term Investment View

Short-term traders should remain selective today.

• Treat 24,500–24,600 as the main Nifty resistance zone.
• Keep 24,360 as the first important support.
• Banks may continue to outperform if Bank Nifty holds above 57,400.
• Avoid chasing Apollo Hospitals immediately after a result-driven gap.
• Watch Tata Motors for confirmation above the ₹459–₹460 area.
• Keep positions smaller while crude remains near $90.

A gap-down opening that quickly recovers above 24,500 would improve sentiment. Failure to reclaim 24,500 could keep the index under pressure.

Long-Term Investment View

Long-term investors can continue with staggered buying rather than reacting to one morning’s GIFT Nifty move.

Themes worth tracking include:

• Hospitals and organised healthcare
• Commercial vehicles and logistics
• Private banks and quality PSU banks
• Capital goods
• Electronics manufacturing
• Power and transmission
• Select metals
• Consumer businesses with strong cash flows

High crude and geopolitical uncertainty can produce attractive corrections, but investors should still check valuation before accumulating.

Today’s Indian Market Forecast

• GIFT Nifty’s latest overnight close near 24,417 signals a flat-to-mildly-negative start, but the fresh 6:30 AM session should be checked before publishing the final opening call.
• 24,500–24,600 is the most important Nifty resistance zone; reclaiming it can improve the recovery setup.
• 24,360 is the immediate support, followed by 24,250. A break below 24,250 may expose 24,000.
• Bank Nifty remains relatively stronger, with 58,000–58,300 acting as the next major upside hurdle.
• Softer US inflation is supportive, but Brent crude near $89 and continuing Middle East tensions remain the biggest risks for Indian equities today.

Further Reading

Cautiously Positive Indian Markets Weekly View Aug 10–14, 2026: Nifty, Bank Nifty and Sensex Outlook

SBI, PTC India, Persistent Systems, Titan and Bajaj Finance Q1 FY27 Results Analysis

Q1 FY27 Results Analysis: Deepak Fertilisers, JSW Infrastructure, Tata Steel, Tanla Platforms and KPIT Technologies

Banking Sector Q1 FY27 Results Analysis for 5 Important Stocks

Q1 FY27 Results Analysis: Reliance, TCS, HCL Tech, Jio Financial and DMart

Rupee Fall 2026 Explained: Why INR May Stay Weak Against Dollar

Disclaimer:

This Indian Markets Pre Market Report Today is published only for educational and informational purposes. It is not investment advice, a trading call or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Market prices, GIFT Nifty, commodities, currencies and derivatives data can change quickly.

Article Information

Author: Kartalks Research Desk
Reviewed by: Kartalks Editorial Team
Content Type: Indian stock market pre-market report, global cues, GIFT Nifty update, Nifty 50 levels, Bank Nifty levels, Sensex view, FII/DII activity, IPO updates, commodity trends, currency movement, and investor education
Sources: NSE, BSE, SEBI, GIFT Nifty, global market data, Asian market updates, FII/DII data, IPO filings, commodity market data, currency market updates, company filings, and official public sources
Last Updated: August 13, 2026