Mumbai — Indian equity markets ended lower on Thursday, with selling across the broader market and continued foreign institutional investor outflows pressuring key indices. Banking, financial services, and FMCG heavyweights saw notable declines, dragging overall sentiment.
The Sensex closed at 83,311.01, down 148.14 points, or 0.18 percent. The benchmark index opened higher at 83,516.69 but lost ground as selling intensified through the session. The Nifty finished at 25,509.70, down 87.95 points, or 0.34 percent.
“Volatility dominated trading, with widespread profit-taking amid sustained FII outflows,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. He noted that early optimism following the inclusion of four Indian stocks in the MSCI Global Standard Index and stronger U.S. economic data was overshadowed by weaker domestic purchasing managers’ index readings, signaling softening momentum.
Most sectors declined, though IT stocks showed resilience, supported by earnings that tracked expectations and improving U.S. macroeconomic conditions. Some selective buying was seen in companies with solid fundamentals and stronger-than-expected second-quarter performance.
Among Sensex constituents, PowerGrid, BEL, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, Titan, NTPC, Tata Steel, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Bank, L&T, and Bajaj Finserv were among the key laggards. Asian Paints, Mahindra and Mahindra, TCS, Maruti Suzuki, and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles ended with gains.
Sectoral indices reflected the overall cautious tone. Nifty Financial Services dropped 0.60 percent, Nifty Bank fell 0.47 percent, and Nifty FMCG slipped 0.19 percent. However, Nifty IT and Nifty Auto posted modest gains.
Broader markets also weakened. Nifty Smallcap 100 declined 1.39 percent, Nifty Midcap 100 fell 0.95 percent, and Nifty 100 finished 0.49 percent lower. (Source: IANS)
