Indian equity markets made a firm start on Friday, 22 May 2026, with the Nifty 50 opening at 23,779.65, gaining 124.95 points or 0.53% against its previous close. The index touched a day high of 23,788.70 in early trade, having opened above its session low of 23,671.00, indicating a gap-up start to the session.
The Sensex mirrored the broader mood, rising 384.82 points or 0.51% to trade at 75,568.18. The index carved out an intraday range between 75,230.75 and 75,642.81 in opening trade, staying well above its session low from the outset.
Bank Nifty was the standout performer among all indices at the open, surging 519.40 points or 0.97% to 53,958.80. The banking index reached a session high of 54,018.95, the only index to touch five-digit gains in absolute terms, and registered the strongest percentage advance of the morning across all tracked sectors.
Nifty Auto also opened in positive territory, adding 69.75 points or 0.27% to trade at 26,056.00 within a range of 26,003.80 to 26,134.70. Nifty Metal edged marginally higher by 14.10 points or 0.11% to 13,227.60, making it the most modest gainer among the advancing indices on a percentage basis.
Not all sectors shared in the opening rally. Nifty Realty was the weakest performer at the open, declining 5.90 points or 0.76% to 769.20, with the index trading between 765.80 and 778.50. Nifty Pharma also slipped, shedding 181.60 points or 0.73% to 24,709.30, having touched a high of 24,979.10 before retreating to near its session low of 24,702.75. Nifty IT dipped a marginal 40.35 points or 0.14% to 28,980.75, making it the least affected of the three declining indices.
On balance, five of the eight indices tracked opened in the green while three declined, pointing to a broadly positive but uneven opening on Dalal Street. Bank Nifty’s near-1% advance stood in sharp contrast to the weakness in Pharma and Realty, highlighting a divergence in sectoral performance right from the start of Friday’s session.
Market data sourced from Yahoo Finance. Prices reflect closing/last traded values as of Friday, 22 May 2026, 10:00 AM IST. Data may be delayed by approximately 5 minutes. This article is for informational purposes only.
