Stock market today: Key stock indices Sensex and Nifty ended lower after initial gains in a volatile session on Monday, affected by selling in industrials and oil & gas shares during the final hour. The BSE Sensex fell 217.41 points or 0.29 per cent to 74,115.17, with 22 components declining and eight advancing.
Despite opening higher and reaching 74,741.25, the index faced selling pressure near closing, dropping 310.34 points or 0.41 per cent to 74,022.24.
The NSE Nifty decreased by 92.20 points or 0.41 per cent to 22,460.30.
Among Sensex companies, IndusInd Bank, Zomato, Larsen & Toubro, Titan, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, Reliance Industries, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tech Mahindra and Tata Consultancy Services declined.
Power Grid, Hindustan Unilever, Infosys, Nestle India, Asian Paints, ITC, Sun Pharmaceuticals and ICICI Bank registered gains.
“Global headwinds continue to drag the market sentiment, with the rise in US unemployment rates and tariffs leading to uncertainty, indicating that volatility is here to stay for the near term,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, said.
Nair indicated that domestic fundamentals support investors in gradually acquiring undervalued stocks with caution short-term, whilst maintaining an optimistic long-term outlook.
The BSE smallcap index fell 2.11 per cent and midcap index declined 1.46 per cent.
In BSE sectoral indices, Industrials, Oil & Gas, Capital Goods, Consumer Durables, Realty, Energy, Consumer Discretionary, Services, Auto, Commodities, metal, healthcare and Telecommunication declined.
FMCG and Utilities showed positive movement.
BSE data showed 2,877 stocks declined, 1,203 advanced and 149 remained unchanged.
“Sensex and Nifty50 closed lower primarily due to uncertainty surrounding US tariffs and concerns about ongoing foreign selling, which affected market sentiment,” Ameya Ranadive Chartered Market Technician, CFTe, Sr Technical Analyst, StoxBox, said.
“Markets were choppy as key benchmarks slipped into the red towards the closing stages with broader markets, particularly mid and small-cap stocks boring the brunt.
“With rupee depreciating sharply and foreign fund outflows showing no signs of cooling off, markets may continue to exhibit volatility,” Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.
BSE-listed firms’ market value decreased by Rs 4,43,269.25 crore to Rs 3,93,85,818.73 crore (USD 4.51 trillion).
Asian markets in Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul showed mixed results.
European markets traded lower mid-session. Wall Street ended positively on Friday.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 2,035.10 crore, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 2,320.36 crore on Friday, per exchange data.
Brent crude increased 0.34 per cent to USD 70.60 per barrel.
On Friday, the BSE Sensex decreased 7.51 points to 74,332.58, ending its two-day rise. The NSE Nifty gained 7.80 points to close at 22,552.50.
