Good, I have plenty on Asian markets. Now let's get gold/silver India prices today and currency rates and crude oil.
Market Wrap : Indian, Asian & US Markets End Volatile Week
Gold, Silver Hold Firm as Rupee Slips Past 96
Indian equity benchmarks closed the week on a strong note domestically even as a sharp global sell-off in semiconductor and AI-linked stocks rattled Asian and US markets on Friday, creating a mixed backdrop for investors heading into the weekend.
Indian Markets : Sensex, Nifty Post Weekly Gains Despite Choppy Trade
The BSE Sensex ended Friday's session at 78,151.45, up 964.58 points or 1.25%, while the NSE Nifty 50 climbed 261.55 points (1.09%) to settle at 24,334.30. Bank Nifty outperformed the broader indices, advancing 1.63% to close at 58,521.40 on broad-based buying in financial stocks.
For the week, the Sensex gained roughly 582 points (about 0.75%), while the Nifty added around 127 points (about 0.53%), extending gains for a second straight week. IT, realty, financial services and auto stocks led Friday's rally, with HCL Tech, TCS, Maruti and Jio Financial among the top gainers. Pharma, metals and select energy counters lagged, with Hindalco, Dr Reddy's and Wipro ending in the red.
The week's earlier sessions were more subdued, with markets trading range-bound amid the ongoing Q1 earnings season, persistent FII selling pressure, and cautious sentiment around Middle East tensions and fluctuating crude prices. Robust DII inflows helped cushion the downside through the week. Broader market breadth stayed healthy, with the midcap and smallcap indices tracking the benchmarks higher on most sessions.
Asian Markets : Tech Rout Drags Region Lower to End the Week
Asian equities closed the week under heavy pressure as a global AI and semiconductor sell-off spread from Wall Street across the region. Japan's Nikkei 225 tumbled around 4% on Friday to near the 64,100 level, with chip and tech-linked names such as SoftBank, Tokyo Electron, Advantest and Kioxia sliding sharply — some losing more than 7-16% in a single session. China's Shanghai Composite fell about 1.5-1.6%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped around 1.6-2%.
South Korea's Kospi, which had already suffered its sharpest weekly slide of the year earlier in the week — briefly triggering a trading halt as chip heavyweights SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics fell 8-11% — remained shut on Friday for a public holiday. The broader unwinding reflects growing investor skepticism over whether massive AI-related capital expenditure can justify current valuations, even after strong earnings and upbeat guidance from TSMC.
US Markets : Wall Street Set for Weekly Losses on Semiconductor Slide
US equities were on track for a weekly decline as the sell-off in chip stocks intensified through the week. On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2% to 52,553.32, the S&P 500 fell 0.5% to 7,533.77, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.5% to 25,881.95. Losses extended into Friday's session, with the Nasdaq down over 1.6%, the S&P 500 off about 0.8%, and the Dow lower by roughly 1%.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index has shed close to 19-20% from its June peak, its worst stretch since the April 2025 tariff-driven meltdown, as investors rotate out of richly valued AI names into more defensive sectors. Earnings from UnitedHealth and Abbott Laboratories offered some support, but they weren't enough to offset the broader tech-led weakness by week's end.
Gold and Silver Prices in India Today
Gold held firm through the week despite the volatility in equities, continuing to draw safe-haven demand. As of today:
- 24-carat gold: approximately ₹14,250-14,270 per gram (around ₹1,42,500-1,42,700 per 10 grams)
- 22-carat gold: approximately ₹13,065-13,135 per gram
- 18-carat gold: approximately ₹10,690-10,747 per gram
- Silver: approximately ₹230 per gram, or around ₹2,30,000 per kilogram
Prices vary marginally by city due to local levies and making charges; Chennai continues to report among the highest rates nationally. These figures exclude GST and other applicable charges.
Rupee and Currency Markets
The Indian rupee weakened through the week, slipping past the 96-mark against the US dollar amid FII outflows and firmer crude prices. USD/INR was trading around ₹96.30-96.40 today, compared with roughly ₹95.20-95.30 at the start of the week — a weekly depreciation of close to 1%.
Against other major currencies, the rupee stood at approximately :
- 1 US Dollar (USD) ≈ ₹96.35
- 1 Euro (EUR) ≈ ₹110.3
- 1 British Pound (GBP) ≈ ₹130.1
- 100 Japanese Yen (JPY) ≈ ₹59.3
Crude Oil Prices
Crude prices firmed up through the week on renewed Middle East geopolitical tensions, though gains were capped by demand concerns. Brent crude was trading around $85.06-85.58 per barrel, while WTI crude hovered near $80.05-80.40 per barrel as of today.
Outlook
With global markets gripped by an AI-valuation reassessment and semiconductor stocks bearing the brunt of the sell-off, investors will be watching for cues from upcoming US economic data, continued Q1 earnings in India, and any further escalation in Middle East tensions that could keep crude and safe-haven assets like gold in focus next week.
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*Note: Intraday prices for gold, silver, currencies, and crude fluctuate through the trading session — figures above reflect rates as reported through Friday, July 17, 2026, and should be verified against a live source before publishing time-sensitive figures.*