Key Market Cues Likely To Influence D-Street Action Today

A host of global and domestic cues are likely to influence trade on November 18, including the anticipation of a key US jobs report, and progress in India-US trade deal among others.

On November 17, the Sensex and Nifty extended their winning streak to a sixth straight session, closing comfortably in the green. The Sensex settled at 84,950.95, up 388.17 points or 0.46 per cent, while the Nifty 50 crossed the 26,000 mark to end at 26,013.45, up 103.4 points or 0.4 per cent. Earlier in the session, the Nifty touched 26,024.20 and the Sensex hit 84,988.09. Strong Q2 earnings and progress on a potential India-US trade deal continued to support investor sentiment.

Key Market Cues To Watch On November 18

The following are the key market cues to watch on November 18:

US Jobs Report September 2025

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the long-delayed September jobs report on November 20, after a record 43-day federal government shutdown pushed the data back by seven weeks. Market participants are keenly awaiting the numbers, which will be followed by a slew of other economic indicators.

The report will be important in shaping expectations for a possible US Federal Reserve rate cut next month. Higher US interest rates typically make emerging markets like India less attractive to foreign investors.

UNSC Approves Gaza Peace Plan

The United Nation Security Council on November 17 approved a US-drafted resolution on Gaza in a 13-0 vote, while Russia and China used their veto to abstain on the vote. The resolution lays out a framework for stabilisation, demilitarisation and reconstruction, and proposes new structures to help shape Gaza’s political and security future.

India-US Trade Deal

A senior government official said on November 17 that the first tranche of the India-US trade deal is “more or less near closure,” signalling progress in easing recent trade tensions. A day earlier, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also said that “hopefully the US deal will get finalised soon.”

US Equities

Overnight, US equity market's key indices ended sharply lower as investors turned cautious ahead of quarterly earnings from major retailers and chipmaker Nvidia. Market participants also treaded cautiously as they awaited the September US jobs report.

The Dow Jones fell 1.18 per cent, the S&P 500 slipped 0.92 per cent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 0.84 per cent. Notably, both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed below their 50-day moving averages for the first time since April 30, according to Reuters.

Asian Equities

Asian equities traded lower in early trade on November 18, tracking weak cues from the Wall Street. Market participants are cautious ahead of the key US jobs report and the potential shift it could bring in US Federal Reserve's monetary policy outlook.

Japan's Nikkei tumbled more than 2.50 per cent, South Korea's Kospi, too, was down nearly 2.50 per cent, China's SSE Composite was also 0.56 per cent in red, and the Hong Kong-based Hang Seng was down nearly 1.50 per cent.

Crude Oil Prices Today

Crude oil prices quoted lower in early trade on November 18 as supply concerns eased after loadings at a key Russian export hub resumed, which had been briefly disrupted by a Ukrainian drone and missile strike. Traders also continued to gauge how new US sanctions might affect Russia’s oil exports.

Brent crude oil futures traded 0.48 per cent lower at $63.89 per barrel, while the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures was down by 0.50 per cent at $59.56 per barrel, at the time of filing this report.