NEW DELHI, Aug. 24 -- Forty-eight million SAIL shares changed hands on Monday, roughly four times what the stock trades on an ordinary day, and none of it had anything to do with Steel Authority of India. The buying was in the commodity, not the company, and SAIL happens to be the most direct way to own a rising steel price on the Indian market.

Steel Authority of India closed Monday, August 24, 2026, at Rs.179.65 on the National Stock Exchange, up Rs.6.19 or 3.57 percent, the best performance among India's large metal producers and one of the strongest moves in the Nifty on the day. On the BSE it settled at Rs.179.35, up 3.10 percent. The stock opened at Rs.174.80, ran to Rs.180.96 and held most of it into the close.

The rest of the se...