MUMBAI, India — Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on Tuesday as weak global cues and sustained selling in metal, real estate, and financial stocks weighed on investor sentiment.
The BSE Sensex fell 533.50 points, or 0.63 percent, to close at 84,679.86, while the NSE Nifty declined 167.20 points, or 0.64 percent, to settle at 25,860.10.
Market analysts said key technical levels were breached during the session, adding to bearish momentum. “On the downside, the support at 25,870 was breached, intensifying bearish sentiment in the market,” experts noted. In the near term, the index could drift toward the 25,700 level, while the 25,950–26,000 range is expected to act as a strong resistance zone, they added.
Banking and financial stocks led the decline, with Axis Bank and Eternal emerging as the top laggards among Sensex constituents, falling as much as 5 percent. Other heavyweight stocks including HCL Technologies, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finserv, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finance, and NTPC also ended the day down more than 1 percent, adding to overall market pressure.
Gains were limited and selective. Titan and Bharti Airtel rose more than 1 percent each, providing some support to the indices. Shares of Mahindra & Mahindra, Asian Paints, and Trent also closed higher, though their gains were insufficient to offset broader losses.
Weakness was equally evident in the broader market. The Nifty MidCap 100 index declined 0.83 percent, while the Nifty SmallCap index fell 0.92 percent, broadly tracking the benchmarks.
On the sectoral front, real estate and private banking stocks saw the sharpest declines, with the Nifty Realty and Nifty Private Bank indices dropping more than 1 percent each. Public sector bank stocks also remained under pressure, while the Nifty IT index ended 0.84 percent lower. Consumer durables and media were the only sectors to close in positive territory.
Adding to investor concerns, the Indian rupee weakened further during the session and touched a fresh all-time low of 91.01 against the U.S. dollar, reflecting heightened global uncertainty and pressure on capital flows. (Source: IANS)
