“It’s important not to get swayed by headline noise; the focus must remain on the underlying technical setup, which is completely reliant on the trajectory of global markets. Yesterday, the S&P 500 did experience a minor sell-off post-Fed policy, but its futures have since bounced higher. This reinforces the idea that Nifty cannot trend lower on its own; it requires a downward push from global markets.

On Nifty, the 25020 spot level is a critical resistance to clear for a higher trend and a signal of a trend reversal. Until that level is taken out, the market is likely to remain sideways with limited downside. A significant breakdown is only confirmed on a closing basis below 24400 on spot.

Looking at time cycles, tomorrow is a key date, followed by August 5th. Interestingly, Fridays have produced the weekly lows for Nifty over the past three weeks, so a failure to do so tomorrow would serve as a primary indication of a potential move higher. The next few sessions are extremely critical.

“Venus and Saturn form a square tomorrow, so it should be interesting.

Astrologically, Venus relates to value, harmony, and money, while Saturn is associated with structure, restriction, and discipline. When they form a square (a 90-degree angle), their energies clash. This often leads to a “reality check” where things related to Venus—like relationships, finances, and pleasure—are confronted with the discipline and limitations of Saturn.

https://ganninsides.com/2025/07/18/niftys-critical-juncture-price-time-and-the-bearish-outlook/

“Nifty has consistently registered weekly lows on Fridays over the past three weeks, a clear bearish signal. Despite this, the index struggles to accelerate its descent, primarily due to the prevailing strength in global markets. The remarkable resilience of the S&P 500, along with the undeniable uptrends across European and other Asian indices, highlights Nifty’s significant underperformance globally.

This divergence could be largely attributed to Nifty’s weekly cycles, which are scheduled to conclude next Monday, July 28th. Once this time pressure dissipates, Nifty may realign with its international counterparts. Consequently, the upcoming week is absolutely critical for all global markets, especially the U.S. markets.

Should the U.S. market initiate its long-anticipated pullback next week, Nifty would likely swiftly retest its swing lows of 24462 to 24473 on spot. This zone will be the decisive factor for Nifty’s medium-term trajectory. For now, we maintain a slight bearish bias, anticipating a potential retest of these swing lows. Yesterday’s high will serve as a strong resistance level on the upside.

While directional trading currently holds little meaning, the NIFTY’s spot close above 25000 remains crucial, keeping major downside at bay. The trend remains sideways.

A strong breakout for NIFTY would materialize only with a sustained spot close above 25350. Conversely, no significant downside is anticipated as long as 24850 holds.

Similarly, US markets remain stable as long as the S&P 500 does not decisively close below 6250. A break of this level would signal a potential reversal.

For directional traders, patience is key. Wait for a clear break of these critical levels on either side before initiating new positions.

Market Commentary: July 18th – A Shifting Landscape for Indian Equities

As of July 18th, Indian equity markets are experiencing a significant pivot, with both the NIFTY and NIFTYBANK indices breaching their crucial support levels of 25,000 and 56,600, respectively. While we await a definitive daily close below these zones to confirm a breakdown, the prevailing sentiment is unequivocally bearish, a trend that has persisted since the beginning of July. This current market behavior stands in stark contrast to historical patterns, where July has typically been the most favorable calendar month for equity markets globally, including India. However, 2025 has proved to be an anomaly, and indeed, it appears poised to enter an even more dramatic phase starting in September.

The rally initiated from the April 7th low has been notably less robust than what one might expect. Despite a couple of strong gap-ups in April and a substantial 1,000-point surge in Nifty following the India-Pakistan ceasefire understanding—which propelled the index from 23,000 to 25,000—the overall momentum has been subdued. Over the past three months, there have been fewer than 15 trending sessions on the upside with daily gains exceeding 0.6%. This highlights the inherently weak nature of this rally. Adding to the complexity, our regulator later disclosed that nearly five of these fifteen positive trading sessions were influenced by instances of index manipulation. While such occurrences are unfortunately part of this profession and must be acknowledged, it underscores the fragility of the recent gains. Despite these factors, the Nifty’s two-month return remains at a flat 0%. Having traded markets since 2014, such prolonged periods of stagnation and manipulated gains are, in my experience, a rare phenomenon.

From a time-cycle perspective, July 18th was identified as a critical date, alongside July 21st. Given the downside swing observed today, a similar downward movement on July 21st would further solidify the confluence of time and price indicators, reinforcing the bearish outlook. With the India VIX currently trading below 13 (indicating low expected market volatility), a significant gap-down on Monday would be crucial to establish a strong, trending downside move. Should this not materialize, we can anticipate a slower, more protracted unwinding of positions. On the price front, 24,750 stands as a key support level; a breach of this mark would likely lead to a retest of 24,450.