MUMBAI— The Indian stock market closed flat on Monday as investor sentiment remained subdued amid ongoing uncertainty over the interim trade agreement between India and the United States.
The Sensex ended the day at 83,409.68, up just 9.61 points or 0.01 percent. The 30-share index opened slightly lower at 83,398.08 compared to the previous close of 83,432.89. It remained largely range-bound throughout the session, touching an intraday high of 83,516.83—a gain of just 84 points.
Similarly, the Nifty closed virtually unchanged at 25,461.30, inching up by just 0.30 points.
Among Sensex constituents, gainers included Hindustan Unilever, Adani Ports, Kotak Bank, Asian Paints, ITC, Power Grid, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, and Sun Pharma. On the downside, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, L&T, TCS, SBI, and Infosys closed in the red.
On the Nifty50 index, 22 stocks advanced while 28 declined.
“Nifty largely traded within a narrow range during the session, as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of expected U.S. tariff announcements,” said Sundar Kewat of Ashika Institutional Equity. “Market participants appeared reluctant to take aggressive positions, keeping the broader index range-bound.”
Sector-wise, buying was seen in consumer goods, oil and gas, consumption, and real estate stocks. Meanwhile, profit booking and weak performance weighed on the media, metals, IT, and auto sectors.
The broader market also showed weakness, with the Nifty Midcap 100 falling 0.27 percent, or 162 points, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 declining 0.44 percent, or 82.90 points. However, Nifty FMCG and Nifty 100 indices ended higher.
The rupee also weakened, closing at 85.87 against the U.S. dollar, down by 0.47 rupees or 0.56 percent, as dollar strength returned amid renewed uncertainty over U.S. trade policy.
With the 90-day U.S. tariff extension period nearing expiration and no finalized trade deals in sight, markets remain cautious. Analysts say investor focus is now turning to the upcoming release of the Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes, which could provide further direction for global markets and currency trends. (Source: IANS)
