Sensex, Nifty end lower on Thursday amid Middle East tensions
CHENNAI: Indian equity benchmarks ended marginally lower on Thursday as investor sentiment remained subdued amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, volatility in crude oil prices, and global economic uncertainty. The looming deadline for the US to impose former President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, along with the US Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates unchanged at 4.25–4.5%, added to market caution.
The BSE Sensex declined by 82.79 points or 0.10% to settle at 81,361.87, after trading in a narrow range of 81,583.94 to 81,191.04 during the day. The broader NSE Nifty50 ended 18.80 points or 0.08% lower at 24,793.25.
Selling pressure was broad-based, with 22 of the 30 Sensex stocks ending in the red. Key laggards included Adani Ports, Bajaj Finance, Tech Mahindra, IndusInd Bank, and Nestle India, falling between 2.50% and 1.28%. On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra, Titan Company, Larsen & Toubro, Bharti Airtel, and Maruti Suzuki India provided some support, gaining between 0.45% and 1.69%.
In the broader markets, the Nifty Midcap100 and Nifty Smallcap100 underperformed the benchmarks, closing down by 1.63% and 1.99%, respectively.
Sectorally, the Nifty Auto index bucked the trend to emerge as the sole gainer, rising 0.52%, driven by gains in Eicher Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Bajaj Auto. In contrast, the Nifty PSU Bank index led sectoral declines, shedding 2.04%, followed by losses in the Metal, Media, and Realty indices—all down more than 1%. Most other sectoral indices also ended in negative territory.
Volatility remained subdued, with the India VIX easing 0.14% to 14.26, signaling a relatively stable risk environment despite global headwinds.
Market breadth was firmly negative, with 2,363 stocks declining on the NSE compared to 516 advances, while 75 stocks remained unchanged.