Benchmark equity indices ended marginally lower on Thursday after a highly volatile session, as continued foreign fund outflows and geopolitical uncertainties kept investors cautious, according to a report by PTI.
Market Performance
The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 114 points, or 0.15 per cent, to settle at 77,844.52. During the day, the benchmark swung 671.49 points between a high of 78,384.70 and a low of 77,713.21. The NSE Nifty50 slipped 4.30 points, or 0.02 per cent, to close at 24,326.65.
Top Gainers and Losers on BSE Sensex
Top gainers: Mahindra & Mahindra (2.12%), NTPC (1.40%), Tata Steel (0.76%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (0.75%), Eternal (0.54%), Asian Paints (0.47%), UltraTech Cement (0.44%), Larsen & Toubro (0.37%), Maruti Suzuki (0.35%), and Bharat Electronics (0.29%).
Top losers: Kwality Wall's (down 2.95%), Hindustan Unilever (down 1.94%), Tata Consultancy Services (down 1.40%), Tech Mahindra (down 1.27%), Titan Company (down 1.20%), ITC (down 1.07%), Adani Ports (down 0.89%), Sun Pharma (down 0.86%), Bajaj Finance (down 0.82%), and Power Grid (down 0.69%).
Top Gainers and Losers on Nifty50
Top gainers: HDFC Life (3.15%), Bajaj Auto (2.78%), Mahindra & Mahindra (2.12%), Grasim Industries (1.58%), NTPC (1.40%), Shriram Finance (1.16%), ONGC (1.11%), Apollo Hospitals (0.99%), and Hindalco (0.95%).
Top losers: Kwality Wall's (down 2.95%), Hindustan Unilever (down 1.94%), Tata Consultancy Services (down 1.40%), Tech Mahindra (down 1.27%), Titan Company (down 1.20%), ITC (down 1.07%), Adani Enterprises (down 1.05%), Wipro (down 0.89%), Adani Ports (down 0.89%), and Sun Pharma (down 0.86%).
Market Sentiment and Expert Views
“Indian equity markets traded largely flat as investors awaited Iran's response to the US peace proposal. The Nifty consolidated, closing nearly unchanged as markets paused for confirmation before extending the momentum,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remained net sellers, offloading equities worth Rs 5,834.90 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, traded 2.23 per cent lower at around $99 per barrel.
“The Indian stock market closed on a slightly cautious note today. Continued FII outflows and subdued global cues weighed on the market. Ongoing geopolitical uncertainties also kept investor confidence in check, impacting overall risk appetite,” said Gaurav Garg, Research Analyst at Lemonn Markets Desk.
Global Market Performance
Asian markets ended mostly higher, with South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225, Shanghai’s SSE Composite, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closing in positive territory. European markets were trading lower, while US markets had ended sharply higher overnight.
