Buy or sell: Gift Nifty down, Vaishali Parekh recommends three stocks to buy today — 20 May 2026

Buy or sell stocks, 20 May 2026: The key benchmark indices of the Indian stock market are expected to open on a cautious-to-weak note, as soaring bond yields weigh on global equity markets. The Gift Nifty Live Chart is also signalling a weak opening, as the index is trading around 150 points below the Nifty spot's close.

Broader Asian markets opened under pressure after renewed concerns emerged around potential escalation in the Middle East. Investor sentiment weakened following U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that he was “an hour away” from authorising military action against Iran before eventually postponing the decision. The development has once again revived fears surrounding geopolitical instability, global energy supply disruptions, and volatility in crude oil markets.

What Gift Nifty signals?

The Gift Nifty index opened lower at 23,504 and hit an intraday low of 23,405, suggesting a weak start for the Indian stock market today. By 7:15 AM, the index was oscillating around 23,420, nearly 150 points below the previous close of the spot Nifty.

Stock market today

Vaishali Parekh, Vice President — Technical Research at Prabhudas Lilladher, believes the Gift Nifty live chart is signalling a gap-down opening on Dalal Street, as the Gift Nifty live chart is trading around 150 points lower than Tuesday's Nifty spot close. She said the Nifty 50 index is facing a strong hurdle at 23,770, whereas the 50-stock index has made a strong base at 23,200.

Speaking on the outlook of the Nifty 50 today, Vaishali Parekh said, the index witnessed a tough resistance near the 23,770 zone during the intraday session and after a rangebound movement slipped down in the final hours to end near the 23,600 zone with bias continuing to be maintained with a cautious approach as of now.

“The Nifty 50 index would have the near-term support at the 23,200 zone, which needs to be sustained to maintain the overall bias intact, whereas on the upside, the 24,300 band shall be the tough resistance hurdle, which needs to be breached decisively to establish conviction,” said Parekh.

On the outlook of the Bank Nifty today, Vaishali Parekh of Prabhudas Lilladher said the key index witnessed a narrow range-bound session, resisting near the 53,700 zone, and the bottom was capped near the 53,350 level and closed in the red near the crucial support zone of 53400 level with bias and sentiment precariously placed.

“A decisive move below the 53,500 zone shall open the gates for downward movement triggering for fresh targets of 51,800 and the 50,000 levels expected in the coming days, while on the upside, a decisive move past the 50EMA level of 55,500 is necessary to establish conviction and improve the bias to some extent,” said Parekh.

Vaishali Parekh's stock recommendations for today

Regarding stocks to buy today, Vaishali Parekh recommended these three buy-or-sell stocks: KPIT Technologies, Asahi Songwon, and Federal Bank.

1] KPIT Technologies: Buy at ₹740, Target ₹760, Stop Loss ₹730;

2] Asahi Songwon: Buy at ₹232, Target ₹243, Stop Loss ₹228; and

3] Federal Bank: Buy at ₹284, Target ₹292, Stop Loss ₹280.

Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.