Mumbai— Indian equity markets ended lower on Tuesday amid heightened geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran, keeping investors cautious throughout a volatile trading session. Gains in auto and private banking stocks offered some support, but were not enough to offset broader losses.
The BSE Sensex fell 138.64 points, or 0.17%, to close at 81,444.66 after hitting an intra-day low of 81,237. The NSE Nifty also slipped 41.35 points, or 0.17%, to end at 24,812.05.
“Despite supportive domestic fundamentals, investors are expected to remain focused on quality large-cap stocks until there is more clarity on global risks,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. He noted that attention will remain on the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy announcement later today, especially amid concerns that inflationary pressures from global tariff tensions could prompt the Fed to maintain current interest rates.
Among the top laggards in the Sensex were TCS, Hindustan Unilever, Nestle India, Bajaj Finserv, and NTPC, with declines of up to 1.79%. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, Titan, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Asian Paints, and Bharti Airtel were among the top gainers, rising as much as 4.4%.
Broader market indices also ended in negative territory. The Nifty Midcap100 fell 0.46%, while the Nifty Smallcap100 slipped 0.23%.
Sectorally, Nifty Media led the losses with a 1.27% drop. Other underperforming sectors included IT, metal, oil and gas, realty, energy, PSU banks, and FMCG. However, consumer durables, auto, and banking stocks managed to close with modest gains, offering some resistance to the broader sell-off.
Investor mood remained cautious ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks, which are expected to provide guidance on the interest rate outlook and the potential impact of rising global crude oil prices.
Meanwhile, India VIX, the market’s volatility index and a measure of investor sentiment, dipped 0.89% to 14.27, suggesting a relatively stable outlook despite the day’s geopolitical jitters. (Source: IANS)
