Indian Stock Market Ends Lower Amid Banking and IT Sector Sell-Off

Mumbai: The Indian stock market closed in the red on Friday, dragged down by heavy selling in banking and IT sectors after lackluster Q1 earnings and continuous foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows. Concerns over trade deals and global cues added further pressure.

Sensex Falls Over 500 Points, Nifty Below 25,000

The BSE Sensex ended the day at 81,757.73, down 501.51 points or 0.61%, while the NSE Nifty 50 settled at 24,968.40, shedding 143.05 points or 0.57%.

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The 30-share Sensex opened lower at 82,193.62 and touched an intra-day low of 81,608.13 amid sell-off in key banking stocks like Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, and Kotak Bank.

Broader Market and Sectoral Indices in Deep Red

All major broader indices closed negatively:

• Nifty Next 50: -486 points
• Nifty Midcap 100: -414 points
• Nifty Smallcap 100: -157 points

Sector-wise Performance:

• Nifty Bank: -545 points (~1%)
• Nifty FMCG: -336 points
• Nifty Fin Services: -253 points
• Nifty IT: Flat close

Expert View: Weak Earnings, FII Selling Fuel Market Caution

“A broad-based sell-off was observed in the national market amidst a disappointing initial set of earnings from the finance and IT sectors,”
— Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services.

Nair also noted that elevated valuations in large-cap stocks and heavy FII short positions led to investor caution.

Rupee Slides Amid Crude Rally and Trade Worries

The Indian rupee traded 0.07% lower as global crude prices surged, adding to inflationary pressures and weighing on the domestic currency. Analysts cite weak capital market sentiment and rising US dollar strength as key drivers.

Analysts Advise Caution Amid Global Trade Tensions

Experts recommend investors avoid aggressive trades and adopt a hedged strategy, with focus on stock-specific moves based on upcoming earnings reports.

Ongoing trade concerns with Russia and tariff threats are expected to keep the markets volatile.