Thursday’s trading session was marked by indecisiveness and volatility across the broader Indian indices, reflecting a mixed investor sentiment. Although the market managed to close slightly higher, the muted gains suggest caution among traders. Nifty 50 and Sensex both opened strong but struggled to hold onto early momentum, indicating a lack of strong conviction on either side. Technical indicators such as the RSI remain in the neutral zone, which further points to a consolidative phase rather than a strong trending market. Meanwhile, the Bank Nifty managed to stay in the green.
On the sectoral front, pharma stocks clearly outperformed, with notable strength seen in leading pharmaceutical companies, showing renewed investor interest in defensive and healthcare plays. The realty sector also managed modest gains, led by prominent real estate firms. On the downside, the FMCG segment was hit the hardest, dragging down the overall mood due to profit-booking or concerns around margins and consumption trends.
Public sector enterprises also saw selling pressure, adding to the drag on market breadth. Globally, Asian markets painted a mixed picture with no clear trend, and weak cues from the US futures added to the cautious tone in the Indian equity space. In this overview, we will analyse the key technical levels and trend directions for Nifty and BSE Sensex to monitor in the upcoming trading sessions. All the charts mentioned below are based on the 5-minute timeframe.
Nifty 50
(In this analysis, we have used 20/50/100/200 EMAs, where 20 EMA (Red), 50 EMA (Orange), 100 EMA (Light Blue), and 200 EMA (Dark Blue)).
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The Nifty 50 Index opened on a positive note at 25,142.00 on Thursday, up by 91.45 points from Wednesday’s closing of 25,050.55. The Nifty Index, which began the morning session on a positive note, subsequently rose above the 25,100 mark and traded above its opening level at 25,123. During the morning session, the index was above all four EMAs of 20/50/100/200 in the 15-minute time frame and was trading between 25,050 and 25,100. In the afternoon session, the index being pulled down from the 25,150 level to the 25,050 level in the afternoon, the Nifty Index consolidated and held above the 25,050 level, trading in green.
Overall, the Thursday session saw the Nifty 50 in a bullish state. During the afternoon session, the Nifty 50 closed above the EMAs of 50/100/200 but remained below the 20 EMA in the 15-minute time frame. Nifty’s immediate resistance levels are R1 (25,147), R2 (25,245), and R3 (25,343), while immediate support levels are S1 (25,041), S2 (24,929), and S3 (24,779).
The Nifty index had reached a day’s high at 25,153.65, traded in green above the 25,050 level, and saw a day’s low at 25,054.90. Finally, it had closed at 25,083.75, gaining 33.2 points, or 0.13%. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) stood at 57.88 (below the overbought zone of 70) in the daily time frame, and the Nifty 50 closed above all four of the 20/50/100/200 EMAs in the daily time frame.
Bank Nifty
(In this analysis, we have used 20/50/100/200 EMAs, where 20 EMA (Red), 50 EMA (Orange), 100 EMA (Light Blue), and 200 EMA (Dark Blue)).
The Bank Nifty Index started the session on a positive note at 55,972.05 on Thursday, up by 273.55 points from Wednesday’s closing of 55,698.50. The index began the morning session on a positive note and rose above the 55,950 mark. However, it then fell and held above the 55,750 mark and traded below its opening level of 55,812. The index was above all four EMAs of 20/50/100/200 during the 15-minute time frame and was trading between 55,700 and 55,950 levels during the morning session.
The Bank Nifty index was erratic during the afternoon session, plunging to the 55,700 mark but still trading in the green. During the afternoon session, Bank Nifty closed below the 20/50 EMA but remained above the 100/200 EMA in the 15-minute time frame. Bank Nifty immediate resistance levels are R1 (55,959), R2 (56,156), and R3 (56,319), while immediate support levels are S1 (55,616), S2 (55,431), and S3 (55,233).
The Bank Nifty index had peaked at 55,993.65 and made a day’s low at 55,708.20. Finally, it had closed in green at 55,755.45, breaking above the 55,750 level, gaining 56.95 points or 0.10%. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) stood at 48.16 (below the overbought zone of 70 but near to the oversold zone in the daily time frame), and Bank Nifty closed below the 20/50 EMAs but remained above the 100/200 EMAs in the daily time frame.
Sensex
(In this analysis, we have used 20/50/100/200 EMAs, where 20 EMA (Red), 50 EMA (Orange), 100 EMA (Light Blue), and 200 EMA (Dark Blue)).
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The BSE Sensex Index opened on a positive note at 82,220.46 on Thursday, up by 362.62 points from Wednesday’s closing of 81,857.84. The Index was more volatile in the morning session after beginning the day on a bullish trend. After trading below its beginning level in the morning session, the Index was trading at the 82,154 level and held above the 82,150 level and reached its day high at 82,231.17. The index was above all four of the 20/50/100/200 EMAs in the 15-minute time frame and was trading between 81,900 and 82,200 in the morning session.
The Sensex Index fell marginally to 81,950 in the afternoon session but held above 82,000, maintaining its overall positive trend and was trading above the EMAs of the 50/100/200 but remained below the 20 EMA in the 15-minute time frame. BSE Sensex immediate resistance levels are R1 (82,228), R2 (82,784), and R3 (83,440), while immediate support levels are S1 (81,759), S2 (81,246), and S3 (80,750).
The BSE Sensex index had peaked at 82,231.17 and made a day’s low at 81,921.22. Finally, it had closed at 82,000.71 in green, gaining 142.87 points, or 0.17%. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) stood at 56.48 (below the overbought zone of 70) in the daily time frame, and the BSE Sensex closed above all four of the 20/50/100/200 EMAs in the daily time frame.
India VIX
The India VIX decreased 0.41 points or 3.50%, from 11.78 to 11.37 during Thursday’s session. A decrease in the India VIX indicates a calm market and less volatility in the coming period.
Market Recap on the 21st of August 2025
The broader indices experienced a volatile trading session on Thursday, ultimately ending on a flat note. The Nifty 50 opened higher at 25,142, marking a gain of 91.45 points from its previous close of 25,050.5. It ended the day at 25,083.75, posting a gain of 33.2 points, or 0.13%, and closed above all key moving averages, the 20/50/100/200-day EMAs.
Similarly, the BSE Sensex mirrored this trend, opening at 82,220.46 and closing at 82,000.7, up by 142.87 points or 0.17%. In terms of technical indicators, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) for the Nifty 50 stood at 57.88 and for the Sensex at 56.48, both remaining below the overbought level of 70. Meanwhile, the Bank Nifty Index gained 56.95 points or 0.10%, finishing at 55,755.45.
The Nifty Pharma Index emerged as the top performer, closing at 22,177 with an increase of 208.20 points or 0.95%. Notable gainers in the pharma space included Mankind Pharma Ltd, Cipla Ltd, and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, with gains of up to 3%. The Nifty Realty Index also ended higher at 917.35, up 3.5 points or 0.38%. Anant Raj Ltd led the gains in this segment, rising by 2.66%, followed by Brigade Enterprises Ltd with a 1.18% increase and Sobha Ltd, which gained 0.89%.
On the downside, the Nifty FMCG Index was the worst performer of the day. It declined by 361 points or 0.64%, settling at 56,303. Dabur India Ltd led the losses, dropping 3.6%, while Britannia Industries and United Breweries slipped by 1.8% and 1.7%, respectively. Another underperformer was the Nifty CPSE Index, which closed at 6,308.5 after falling by 39.85 points or 0.63%. Key losers in this category included Coal India Ltd, Lupin Ltd, Power Grid Corporation, and NHPC Ltd, with declines of up to 2%.
Asian markets displayed mixed cues. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index declined by 96.94 points or 0.39%, to close at 25,069. The Shanghai Composite Index ended nearly flat at 3,771.1, up by 4.89 points or 0.13%. South Korea’s KOSPI Index closed higher at 3,141.74, rising by 11.65 points or 0.37%. However, Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index fell by 262.55 points or 0.62%, ending at 42,626. Meanwhile, the US Dow Jones Futures were trading lower at 44,807.07, down by 131.24 points or 0.29% as of 5:10 p.m. IST.
Trade Setup Summary
The Nifty 50 opened on a positive note at 25,142.00 on Thursday but later ended the day in green above the 25,050 level at 25,083.75. A break below 25,041 could trigger further selling towards 24,929, while a break above 25,147 could trigger bullishness towards 25,245.
Bank Nifty started the session on a positive note at 55,972.05 and ended the session at 55,755.45 in green, above the 55,750 level. A break below 55,616, could trigger further selling towards 55,431, while a break above 55,959 could trigger bullishness towards 56,156.
Sensex opened on a positive note at 82,220.46 on Thursday and ended in the green at 82,000.71, breaking above the 82,000 level. A break below 81,759 could trigger further selling towards 81,246, while breaking the next resistance level of 82,228 could lead towards the 82,784 level.
Given the ongoing volatility and mixed sentiments, it’s advisable to avoid aggressive positions and wait for clear directional moves above resistance or below support. Traders should consider these key support and resistance levels when entering long or short positions following the price break from these critical levels. Additionally, traders can combine moving averages to identify more accurate entry and exit points.
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