Mumbai– The Indian stock market ended lower on Thursday as investors remained cautious ahead of key first-quarter earnings announcements. Ongoing uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariff negotiations also weighed on market sentiment.
The BSE Sensex declined 345.80 points, or 0.41 percent, to close at 83,190.28. The 30-share index opened higher at 83,658.20, compared to the previous close of 83,536.08, but slipped into negative territory amid broad-based selling. It touched an intraday low of 83,139.97.
The NSE Nifty also fell, ending the day at 25,355.25, down 120.85 points.
“Domestic equities witnessed a lackluster session, reflecting cautious investor sentiment ahead of key triggers,” said Sundar Kewat, Technical and Derivatives Analyst at Ashika Institutional Equity.
Globally, investors closely monitored the evolving U.S.-India trade discussions. “Sentiment remained subdued as both sides navigate the complexities of the negotiations,” Kewat added.
Among Sensex components, gainers included Maruti Suzuki, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance, Tata Motors, TCS, Trent, and Axis Bank.
On the losing side were L&T, Reliance Industries, Sun Pharma, SBI, HDFC Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Tech, and Hindustan Unilever.
Only 12 stocks advanced on the Nifty, while 38 closed in the red, underscoring broader market weakness.
“Indian equities ended the day in the red, weighed down primarily by weakness in IT stocks ahead of TCS’s Q1 results,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.
All broader indices closed lower. The Nifty 100 dropped 0.43 percent, the Nifty Midcap 100 slipped 0.30 percent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 was down 0.27 percent.
Sectoral indices, including Nifty IT, Nifty FMCG, Nifty Auto, and Nifty Bank, also finished in negative territory.
The Indian rupee traded flat near 85.65, down 0.07 percent, as a modestly stronger U.S. dollar and weaker domestic equities affected sentiment.
“After yesterday’s strong rally, some profit booking was also seen in the currency market. The rupee is expected to trade within a range of 85.30 to 85.90,” said Jateen Trivedi of LKP Securities. (Source: IANS)
