Markets Continue to Trade Lower Amid Rising India-Pak Tensions; Sensex Tanks Nearly 800 Points
Indian stock markets continued their downward trend on Friday late morning as escalating tensions between India and Pakistan raised concerns of a broader conflict.
Mumbai: Indian stock markets continued their downward trend on Friday late morning as escalating tensions between India and Pakistan raised concerns of a broader conflict.
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Sensex Tanks Nearly 800 Points, Nifty Drops Over 200
The BSE Sensex plunged 771.01 points to 79,566.02, while the NSE Nifty fell by 205.55 points to 24,068.25, extending Thursday’s losses.
India Foils Fresh Pakistani Attacks
Tensions surged after India swiftly thwarted Pakistan’s attempts to target military installations in Jammu and Pathankot using drones and missiles on Thursday night. This followed India’s missile strikes on nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under ‘Operation Sindoor’ on Wednesday.
Expert Commentary: Market Resilience Despite Tensions
VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, noted that while geopolitical conflict often triggers heavy market sell-offs, the current situation shows India’s superiority in conventional warfare. He added that resilient domestic fundamentals and a weak global economic outlook are cushioning the impact on markets.
Key Laggards and Gainers
Among Sensex stocks, Power Grid, ICICI Bank, NTPC, Adani Ports, Bajaj Finserv, and UltraTech Cement were among the major losers.
However, Larsen & Toubro surged 4% after reporting a 25% rise in consolidated net profit to ₹5,497 crore for Q4 FY25. Titan Company also gained nearly 4% after posting a 13% rise in net profit to ₹871 crore.
Other gainers included Tata Motors, State Bank of India, Asian Paints, and Mahindra & Mahindra.
FIIs Continue Buying, But Profit-Booking Likely
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth ₹2,007.96 crore on Thursday. However, Prashanth Tapse of Mehta Equities warned that profit-booking may continue as investors remain cautious despite a positive global backdrop.
Global Market Overview
In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi and China’s SSE Composite traded lower, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were in positive territory.
US markets closed higher on Thursday, and Brent crude oil rose by 0.53% to $63.17 per barrel.
Recap of Thursday’s Market Movement
On Thursday, the Sensex had closed 411.97 points lower at 80,334.81, while the Nifty dropped 140.60 points to settle at 24,273.80.
