Stock Watch — March 18, 2026

Market Day Summary | Not investment advice

📊 INDICES

IndexPrev CloseChange% Change
Nifty 5023,408.80+172.35+0.74%
Nifty Bank54,413.40+462.60+0.85%
FinNifty25,515.25+209.40+0.82%
Nifty IT29,042.55-281.65-0.97%

Note: Previous close from March 17, 2026. Pre-market data as of 08:25 IST.

🏦 BANKS — Digital Payments Focus

BankSymbolPrev CloseChange %Key LevelsExpectation
HDFC BankHDFCBANK₹840.60+0.57%S: 820, R: 860↗️ Slight bullish
ICICI BankICICIBANK₹1,272.90+1.24%S: 1,250, R: 1,300↗️ Bullish
SBISBIN₹1,066.70-0.19%S: 1,040, R: 1,080➡️ Flat
Axis BankAXISBANK₹1,214.70+1.10%S: 1,190, R: 1,240↗️ Slight bullish
Kotak BankKOTAKBANK₹369.85+1.18%S: 360, R: 380↗️ Slight bullish

💳 FINTECH — Pure Play

Tier B1: Digital Payments & Wallets

CompanySymbolPrev CloseChange %Expectation
PaytmPAYTM₹1,013.80+0.81%↗️ Slight bounce

Tier B2: Insurance & Credit Marketplaces

CompanySymbolPrev CloseChange %Expectation
PB FintechPBFINTECHData unavailable

Tier B3: Payment Infrastructure & Gateways

CompanySymbolPrev CloseChange %Expectation
Infibeam AvenuesINFIBEAM₹14.01+0.43%➡️ Flat
Pine LabsPINELABSNot listed
NPSTNPSTNot listed

Tier B4: Payments Banking & Cards

CompanySymbolPrev CloseChange %Expectation
Fino Payments BankFINOPB₹140.43+0.58%➡️ Recovery
SBI CardsSBICARD₹695.55-0.24%➡️ Flat

Tier B5: ATM & Cash (Peripheral)

CompanySymbolPrev CloseChange %Expectation
AGS Transact ⚠️AGSTRA₹3.00-1.00%↘️ Under CIRP

⚠️ AGSTRA is under Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP)

📰 Sector News

  • FII Selling Continues: FIIs net sold ₹9,406 crore of Indian equities on March 16. DIIs net bought ₹1,066 crore to offset some selling. 1
  • Middle East Tensions: Oil prices surge amid Iran-US conflict, threatening Indian markets. Brent crude at $101/barrel. 2
  • Fed Decision Ahead: US Federal Reserve policy meeting on March 18. Markets await cues on interest rates. 2
  • PhonePe IPO Shelved: Walmart-backed PhonePe has indefinitely postponed IPO plans due to geopolitical tensions. 3

📈 Market Outlook

  • Nifty 50: Trading near 23,581. Support at 23,400, resistance at 23,800. Broad market showing resilience.
  • Banks: Nifty Bank at 54,876 (+0.85%) leading gains. ICICI Bank and Kotak Bank leading the pack.
  • Fintech: Mixed signals. PAYTM (+0.81%) recovering. INFIBEAM flat. FINOPB showing recovery (+0.58%).
  • IT Sector: Nifty IT down -0.97% on global cues. Wipro and Infosys dragging.

Sources: NSE India, Yahoo Finance, Moneycontrol 1 2 3

Disclaimer: AI-generated for educational purposes. Not investment advice.

Summary as of 08:25 IST, March 18, 2026