Wednesday, 14 October 2026. The Nifty fell 99.25 points (0.44%) to 22,622.70, handing back part of Tuesday's 358.60-point rally. Trading Economics linked the fall to profit-taking, Brent crude near $107 a barrel after Houthi attacks on Saudi sites, and a 13th straight session of foreign portfolio selling. September's wholesale inflation, out around midday, jumped to 11.39%, and the index had its sharpest fall of the day shortly after. Financial stocks, insurers and drugmakers fell; IT, FMCG and energy stocks rose.
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | 22,622.70 | −99.25 pts (−0.44%) |
| Sensex | 72,781.89 | −251.89 pts (−0.34%) |
| Bank Nifty | 55,316.00 | −165.05 pts (−0.30%) |
| Nifty Midcap 100 | 59,409.10 | −50.10 pts (−0.08%) |
| Nifty Smallcap 100 | 19,384.80 | −62.60 pts (−0.32%) |
| India VIX | 14.63 | +0.51 (+3.61%) |
Wholesale inflation reached 11.39%, then came the day's worst half hour
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry put September's wholesale price inflation at 11.39%, up from 9.92% in August. Free Press Journal called it a six-month high. Fuel and power led at 25.85%, against 22.93% a month earlier, and within that, crude petroleum and natural gas rose 57.32% from a year earlier. Manufactured products were at 9.76% (8.37% in August) and the WPI food index at 8.66% (7.05%). The index itself rose to 112.5 from 110.8.
Retail inflation for the same month, published on Monday, was 5.54%.
The Tribune's report on the figures is timed 12:41 PM. The Nifty was at 22,711.40 at 12:45 PM and at 22,560.60 by 1:15 PM, a 150.80-point drop in two 15-minute candles. It touched the day's low of 22,558.95 in the next candle. None of the reports I read tied the fall to the inflation number directly, so I am giving the timing, not a cause.
Before that, the morning had been flat. The Nifty opened at 22,715.75, 6.20 points below Tuesday's close, and made its high of 22,757.95 in the 9:45 AM candle. Until 12:45 PM it stayed between that high and 22,655.35. After the low it recovered 98.25 points to 22,657.20 by 2:00 PM, then drifted to close 63.75 points off the low. The full range was 199.00 points.
Oil stayed near $106 after attacks on Saudi sites
Trading Economics reported missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces on several Saudi locations, including a Saudi Aramco office complex in the east of the kingdom. Against that, the US said it had helped move more than 19 million barrels of crude through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent was at $106.37, up 0.64%, in PTI's late-afternoon report and at $105.74 in the evening. HDFC Sky described it as climbing towards $107.
Energy stocks rose. Nifty Energy gained 1.47%, the best of the sector indices here, with ONGC up 1.28% to ₹225.50, NTPC up 0.87% and Reliance Industries up 0.68%.
Foreign selling ran to a 13th session
Both HDFC Sky and Trading Economics counted 13 sessions in a row of net selling by foreign portfolio investors. Trading Economics put this year's withdrawals at a record $32.52 billion and also mentioned caution ahead of US inflation data. On Tuesday, the 12th of those sessions, foreign institutions were net sellers of ₹1,305.10 crore in the cash market while domestic institutions bought a net ₹2,439.20 crore, on NSE's provisional figures. Today's figures were not out when I checked at about 6:20 PM; they will be in tomorrow's pre-market report. (How to read FII and DII data.)
Nestle and Tata Consumer closed at their highs
| Nifty index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 36,503.50 | +1.47% |
| FMCG | 45,271.70 | +1.21% |
| IT | 30,171.00 | +1.14% |
| Media | 1,641.35 | +0.59% |
| PSU Bank | 8,167.55 | +0.26% |
| Metal | 12,006.75 | −0.67% |
| Realty | 822.80 | −0.86% |
| Auto | 25,156.75 | −0.93% |
| Financial Services | 24,948.70 | −1.11% |
| Pharma | 25,736.95 | −1.30% |
Nestle India was the biggest Nifty gainer, up ₹49.20 (3.69%) to ₹1,383.20, and Tata Consumer Products rose 2.91% to ₹987.90. Both finished at the day's high. I found no reported reason for either move; Nestle's September-quarter results are due on Thursday. Hindustan Unilever added 1.07%.
IT extended Tuesday's rally, which HDFC Sky and Trading Economics again linked to HCLTech's results. Infosys rose 2.44% to ₹1,088, Tech Mahindra 2.05% to ₹1,575.20 and TCS 1.57% to ₹2,304.90. HCLTech itself went as high as ₹1,353.70 but closed at ₹1,327, a rupee above Tuesday. Nifty IT closed at 30,171.00 after touching 30,377.15.
Coal India rose 2.08% to ₹417. Its subsidiary Bharat Coking Coal raised prices of some raw coking coal grades sold to the non-regulated sector by up to 14%, effective today, according to Kotak Neo, and HDFC Sky linked Coal India's gain to the increase.
Financials, insurers and drugmakers fell
| Fell | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Shriram Finance | ₹950.00 | −3.85% |
| HDFC Life | ₹544.05 | −2.85% |
| Bajaj Finance | ₹957.00 | −2.62% |
| Mahindra & Mahindra | ₹2,793.70 | −2.47% |
| SBI Life | ₹1,650.00 | −2.20% |
| Hindalco | ₹882.50 | −2.19% |
| Bajaj Finserv | ₹1,721.70 | −1.94% |
| Dr Reddy's | ₹1,216.00 | −1.94% |
Shriram Finance gave back ₹38 of Tuesday's rise, which HDFC Sky had linked to reports of interest from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. The two life insurers fell together; HDFC Life reports on Thursday. Bajaj Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindalco and ICICI Bank (down 1.59% to ₹1,338.60) all closed at their lows of the day. I did not find a reported reason for any of these moves.
Nifty Pharma fell 1.30%, the most of any sector here: Sun Pharma lost 1.37% and Cipla 1.13% besides Dr Reddy's. Of the 50 Nifty stocks, 16 rose and 34 fell, by Angel One's count.
Prices here are NSE closing prices as shown on Kite after the post-close session. HDFC Sky printed ₹1,710.30 (−2.59%) for Bajaj Finserv and ₹416.95 (+2.07%) for Coal India; I have used Kite's figures. (How the closing auction sets the close.)
India VIX rose 3.61% to 14.63, after trading between 13.80 and 15.02, having fallen 7.41% on Tuesday. (What India VIX measures.)
The rupee closed at 95.17, up 171 paise in four sessions
The rupee closed at 95.17 to the dollar on provisional figures, 19 paise stronger than Tuesday's 95.36, PTI reported. It opened at 95.05 and traded between 94.76 and 95.19. PTI credited RBI measures, a weak dollar and easing US Treasury yields. The dollar index was 102.23.
Results and dates ahead
- Wednesday, 14 October: BHEL, Canara Bank, ICICI Lombard, HDB Financial Services, MRPL and CEAT were scheduled to report.
- Thursday, 15 October: results from Nestle India, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Jio Financial Services, HDFC Life, Polycab, Persistent Systems and Angel One.
- Friday, 16 October: Federal Bank, Bajaj Housing Finance and Oberoi Realty results; record date for the HCLTech dividend.
- Saturday, 17 October: HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Yes Bank results.
- Tuesday, 20 October: NSE trading holiday.
- Friday, 23 October: Infosys results.
- Tuesday, 27 October: monthly expiry.
The results dates come from a list Upstox published on 11 October; companies sometimes move them.
Before Thursday's open
- Today's FII and DII provisional figures, and whether the run of foreign selling reached 14 sessions.
- Brent overnight, and any further reports from Saudi Arabia.
- Results from Canara Bank, ICICI Lombard and BHEL, scheduled for 14 October.
- GIFT Nifty before the open, which goes into tomorrow's pre-market report as it did in this morning's. Tuesday's session is in the 13 October report.
Sources
- Index, sector and stock prices, intraday path and India VIX: Zerodha Kite market data (NSE and BSE)
- Wholesale inflation: The Tribune, Free Press Journal; retail inflation: Business Today
- Sector moves, oil, foreign selling streak and Coal India: HDFC Sky; market reasons and year-to-date outflows: Trading Economics
- Brent and the Saudi attacks: Trading Economics
- Bharat Coking Coal price increase: Kotak Neo
- Rupee, dollar index and afternoon Brent: HDFC Sky (PTI)
- Breadth and top movers cross-check: Angel One
- Tuesday's FII and DII flows: NSE provisional data via 5paisa
- Results calendar: Upstox; holiday and expiry dates from the NSE holiday list and Outlook Money
This note summarises public news and data for information only. It is not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security, and I don't publish levels, targets or trade ideas. I am not registered with SEBI as an investment adviser or research analyst.