Mumbai– Indian stock markets ended lower on Wednesday as investor sentiment turned cautious amid concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s firm stance on an upcoming tariff deadline, which created a risk-off mood across global markets.
After hitting an intraday high of 83,935.29, the Sensex lost steam and closed at 83,409.69, down 287.6 points or 0.34%. The Nifty also declined by 88.45 points or 0.35%, settling at 25,453.4.
“Mixed global cues, particularly ahead of the impending tariff deadline, are driving investor caution,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.
He added that market attention is now shifting to the upcoming Q1 earnings season, which carries high investor expectations.
Despite the cautious mood, Nair noted that strong macroeconomic fundamentals and increased government spending continue to provide underlying support for the markets.
Among Sensex constituents, the top losers included Bajaj Finserv, L&T, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, and Bharat Electronics. Meanwhile, Tata Steel, Asian Paints, Ultratech Cement, Trent, Maruti, and Sun Pharma emerged as top gainers.
The broader markets mirrored the benchmark indices. The Nifty Midcap 100 fell by 0.14%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 dropped 0.41%.
On the sectoral front, Nifty Metal, Consumer Durables, Auto, IT, Pharma, and Healthcare closed in positive territory. However, Realty, Financial Services, Banking, Oil & Gas, and Media sectors dragged overall market sentiment.
The total market capitalization of all listed companies on the NSE stood at ₹5.35 trillion.
Meanwhile, the India VIX, which measures market volatility, eased slightly by 0.66% to close at 12.44, indicating some cooling in investor nerves despite the day’s losses.
In commodities, gold traded within a narrow range as markets awaited key U.S. economic data. COMEX gold moved between $3,327 and $3,340, while MCX gold traded in the ₹97,000 to ₹97,400 band.
“Prices are expected to stay in the broader range of ₹96,500 to ₹97,850 as participants price in potential dollar weakness and anticipate key U.S. data, including Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP), ADP employment, and unemployment figures,” said Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst at LKP Securities. (Source: IANS)
