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The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 began the last trading session of the week with a cautiously optimistic outlook
Sensex Today
Sensex Today: Benchmark equity indices closed on a subdued note as investors opted to stay on the sidelines ahead of the long weekend, with both the BSE and NSE set to remain closed on Friday for the ‘Holi’ festival.
Amid global uncertainty, particularly surrounding Donald Trump’s tariff policies, market participants were cautious and preferred not to make fresh positions.
The BSE Sensex initially surged to a high of 74,401 in early trading, but soon gave up its gains. Continuous selling in auto, IT, and select banking stocks pushed the Sensex into the red, and it eventually dropped to a low of 73,771, marking a decline of 630 points from its peak. The index closed the day down by 201 points, or 0.27%, at 73,829, registering a loss of 504 points for the week.
The NSE Nifty 50 index, after hitting a high of 22,558, fell to a low of 22,377, ultimately closing 73 points lower at 22,397. For the week, the Nifty lost 156 points in this holiday-shortened trading period.
Among the 30 Sensex stocks, Tata Motors and IndusInd Bank were the biggest losers, falling nearly 2% each. Other notable decliners included Zomato, Maruti Suzuki, Asian Paints, and Bajaj Finance. On the upside, no Sensex stock rose more than 1%, but SBI, ICICI Bank, and NTPC each gained more than 0.5%.
Broader indices also ended in the red, with the BSE MidCap index slipping 0.8% and the SmallCap index falling 0.6%. Overall market breadth was negative, with 60% of the 4,105 stocks traded on the BSE closing lower.
Sector-wise, the BSE Realty index was the worst performer, falling 1.8%. Stocks like Godrej Properties, Oberoi Realty, Lodha, Brigade Enterprises, and Phoenix from the sector all shed over 2%.
Global Cues
Overnight in the US, the NASDAQ and S&P 500 rose by up to 1.2% as beaten-down tech stocks bounced back. However, the Dow Jones closed 0.2% lower after a volatile trading session. A softer CPI inflation report also helped boost market sentiment.
Markets in the Asia-Pacific region showed a mixed performance. Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.8%, while KOSPI and Taiwan saw increases of 1% and 0.5%, respectively. On the other hand, Australian indices like the ALL Ordinaries and ASX 200, along with the Hang Seng, Straits Times, and China’s Shanghai Composite, were down by around 0.2% each.
