Stock Market Today, 22 October 2026: GIFT Nifty, Sensex and Nifty Pre-Market Cues, FII DII Data and Stocks in Focus

NSE pre-market report · Data as of 8:30 AM IST · NSE and BSE open at 9:15 AM IST

Good morning, and welcome to your chai-time look at the share market today. Here is the short version before the bell: GIFT Nifty today is trading lower, Asian markets are in the red, and crude oil is still sitting above the $110 mark — but Wall Street actually closed higher overnight. So the cues are mixed, with a slight tilt to the cautious side.

Yesterday was the second day of losses for Nifty 50 and Sensex, mostly because of the oil story and some profit-booking in mid-caps and small-caps. The one bright spot: FII DII data showed both foreign and domestic institutions were net buyers in the cash market on 21 October. And since today is Thursday, it is also a F&O expiry day for BSE Sensex weekly options.

A quick note on something people search a lot — “Nifty prediction today”. We don’t make predictions, and we don’t give buy or sell calls. What we do is lay out the data, the levels analysts are talking about, and the news that could move stocks, so you can think it through yourself (or with your advisor).

1. Global Market Cues Today: US Markets, Asian Markets, Crude Oil and Rupee

Wall Street had a good day on Wednesday. A strong SpaceX earnings report revived enthusiasm for AI-linked and chip stocks, which pushed the Nasdaq up over 1%. Netflix was the sore spot, falling about 5% after a weak revenue forecast.

Asia, however, did not follow Wall Street this morning. Worries about how long the AI-driven rally can last, plus the oil spike, have pulled most regional markets down.

Here are the global market cues today that matter most for us in India — oil and the rupee.

Why oil matters so much: India imports most of its crude. When Brent jumps, our import bill rises, which can push up inflation and hurt companies that use oil as a raw material (paints, tyres, aviation, oil marketing companies). The current spike follows reports of attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and the US asking its diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia.

The rupee was the good news — it closed at ₹94.43 per dollar, up 48 paise, helped by dollar inflows for the Jio Platforms IPO and support from the RBI.

2. GIFT Nifty Today (SGX Nifty): The First Pre-Market Indicator

GIFT Nifty is the Nifty futures contract that trades at the NSE IX exchange in GIFT City, Gandhinagar. It used to be called SGX Nifty when it traded in Singapore. Because it trades for far longer hours than our cash market, it is the first rough hint of where Nifty may open.

So GIFT Nifty is trading roughly 170 points below yesterday’s Nifty close, which points to a soft or gap-down start. One caution: GIFT Nifty is only an indicator, not a guarantee. The actual opening is decided by the NSE pre-open session between 9:00 and 9:08 AM.

3. Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex Today: Previous Close

BSE Sensex today starts from 73,709.69 and Nifty 50 from 22,811.35. Headline indices fell modestly, but the broader market took a much bigger hit — the advance-decline count tells the story: out of 2,874 stocks traded, only 394 advanced while 2,440 declined.

The week-so-far figures compare against the 16 October close (Nifty 23,146.15 and Sensex 74,729.27), which capped the best week in six months. Note that 20 October was a Dussehra holiday, so this week has only two sessions behind us.

Sector-wise, IT was the only real winner — the Nifty IT index rose 2.88%, helped by a weaker-rupee-friendly outlook and the global tech rally. Nifty Chemical fell 2.64%, and autos, financials, metals and realty all saw profit-booking.

Nifty Support and Resistance Levels for Today

These are the Nifty support resistance zones analysts are watching and talking about in their notes. They are reference points for understanding the chart, not forecasts, and certainly not trade calls.

Technically, Sudeep Shah of SBI Securities noted the Nifty has slipped below its 20-day EMA, with RSI neutral and MACD flat. Another reference point: Monday’s high of 23,175 is the level chartists mention as the nearest swing resistance.

India VIX is the “fear gauge” — it measures how much movement option traders expect over the next 30 days. A jump of 6% to a four-month high tells you nervousness has gone up, which usually means wider intraday swings. It does not tell you direction.

4. FII DII Data Today: Wednesday, 21 October 2026 (₹ Crore)

Here is the FII DII data today from the provisional cash-market numbers. FIIs are Foreign Institutional Investors (overseas funds); DIIs are Domestic Institutional Investors (our mutual funds, insurers, pension funds).

Both sides being net buyers on the same day is a notable change, because FIIs have been persistent sellers through October.

The month-to-date picture is the familiar 2026 pattern: foreign money leaving, domestic money absorbing almost exactly as much.

5. Stocks in News Today: Stocks to Watch on 22 October 2026

These are F&O stocks to watch and cash-market names that are in the news on factual grounds — results, orders, fund-raises, corporate actions. This is an observation of what happened, not a view on what to do.

6. Key Events Today: Q2 Results, Jio IPO Day 2 and Sensex Expiry

7. F&O Today: Nifty Expiry, Open Interest and F&O Ban List

First, the expiry calendar, because this week is unusual. Nifty weekly expiry normally falls on Tuesday. This week Tuesday, 20 October was the Dussehra holiday, so the Nifty weekly expiry was advanced to Monday, 19 October. The next Nifty weekly expiry is Tuesday, 27 October — which is also the last Tuesday of the month, making it the monthly F&O expiry. BSE Sensex weekly options expire every Thursday, so that is today.

Now the option chain. Open interest (OI) is simply the number of contracts still open — it tells you where traders have parked positions, not where price must go.

Reading this in plain language:

• PCR is put OI divided by call OI. At 0.70, there are more calls open than puts. Traders read a low PCR as more call writing at higher strikes — which is usually described as overhead supply, not as a signal.
• Max pain at 22,900 is the strike where the largest number of option buyers would lose money if expiry happened there. It is an arithmetic observation about OI distribution, and it shifts every day.
• Highest call OI at 23,000 and highest put OI at 22,000 mark the wide band option writers have been operating in.

Finally, the F&O ban list today. A stock enters the ban when open interest across the market crosses 95% of its market-wide position limit (MWPL) — the maximum number of contracts allowed open in that stock. In the ban, you can only reduce existing positions, not take fresh ones. It exits once MWPL usage falls below 80%.

Kaynes, SAIL and Ambuja were all in the ban on 21 October. Based on the latest MWPL readings, SAIL and Ambuja have slipped under the trigger. The exchange publishes the official list for the day before trading, so do check the NSE website if the ban status matters to your positions.

FAQs: Share Market Today (22 October 2026)

What is GIFT Nifty today?

GIFT Nifty was at 22,641.50 at around 8:04 AM IST, down 106.50 points or 0.47% from its previous close of 22,748. That is roughly 170 points below the Nifty 50’s 21 October close of 22,811.35, which points to a soft start.

What were the Nifty 50 and Sensex closing levels yesterday?

On 21 October 2026, Nifty 50 closed at 22,811.35, down 77.60 points (−0.34%), and BSE Sensex closed at 73,709.69, down 143.21 points (−0.19%). Nifty Bank closed at 54,976.90, down 511.20 points.

What are the Nifty support and resistance levels today?

Analysts are watching 22,630–22,650 as the near support, with 22,500 below it, and 22,960–22,980 as the near resistance, with 23,130 above. For Nifty Bank, the levels cited are 54,493 and 54,009 as support and 55,664 as resistance. These are reference levels for reading the chart, not forecasts.

What was the FII DII data for 21 October 2026?

In the provisional cash market, FIIs were net buyers of ₹1,022.32 crore and DIIs were net buyers of ₹1,614.32 crore — a combined net inflow of ₹2,636.64 crore. For October so far (to 19 October), FIIs were net sellers of about ₹49,918 crore while DIIs bought about ₹51,369 crore.

When is the Nifty expiry this week?

The Nifty weekly expiry for this week was advanced to Monday, 19 October 2026, because Tuesday 20 October was a Dussehra holiday. The next Nifty weekly expiry is Tuesday, 27 October 2026, which is also the monthly F&O expiry. BSE Sensex weekly options expire today, Thursday 22 October.

Which stocks are in the F&O ban list today?

Based on the latest MWPL readings, Kaynes Technology India is above the 95% trigger at 101.69%. SAIL (93.94%) and Ambuja Cements (90.37%), which were banned on 21 October, have slipped below the trigger. Manappuram Finance and LIC Housing Finance are the closest names on the watchlist. The NSE publishes the official daily list before the market opens.

Why is crude oil above $110 and why does it matter for Indian stocks?

Brent crude is near $110.16 a barrel after reports of attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and the US instructing diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia. India imports the bulk of its crude, so higher oil raises the import bill and feeds into inflation. It affects upstream producers, oil marketing companies, paints, tyres, aviation and chemicals differently — some gain on realisations, others face higher input costs.

Data sources: NSE and BSE provisional data, NSE IX (GIFT Nifty), Business Standard, Kotak Neo, NiftyTrader, ScanX, DSIJ, Upstox, Goodreturns and Trendlyne, collated as of 8:30 AM IST on 22 October 2026. Pre-market figures move continuously; the F&O ban list and FII/DII numbers are provisional until the exchanges confirm them. Levels marked “—” were not available at the time of writing.

This report is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Please consult a SEBI-registered investment advisor before making any trading or investment decisions.