Sensex falls 367 points, Nifty 50 ends below 26,050—six highlights from stock market
The Indian stock market ended lower on Friday as investors remained in a selling mode amid a lack of fresh triggers and mixed global cues. The Sensex ended with a loss of 367 points, or 0.43%, at 85,041.45, while the Nifty 50 settled at 26,042.30, down 100 points, or 0.38%. The BSE Midcap index slipped by 0.18% while the Smallcap index dropped 0.34%.
1 lakh-crore loss for investors
The overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms dropped to nearly ₹474 lakh crore from ₹475 lakh crore in the previous session, resulting in a loss of about ₹1 lakh for investors in a single session.
For the week ended 26 December, the Sensex inched up by 112 points, or 0.13%, snapping a two-week losing run. The Nifty 50 moved up by 0.30% on a weekly basis, snapping its three-week losing streak.
Key highlights of trading on Friday
1. Why did the Indian stock market fall?
Investors are taking money off the table amid a lack of fresh triggers and muted volume due to year-end trading. The domestic market is expected to remain in a range till the December quarter earnings announcements start. TCS and HCL Tech will announce their December quarter (Q3FY26) results on January 12.
"Domestic equities ended lower today as thin year‑end trading volumes, and a cautious mood ahead of upcoming earnings prompted broad-based profit booking," said Vinod Nair of Geojit Investments.
"The optimism around the Santa Claus rally has diminished amid the absence of fresh catalysts, such as progress on a possible US‑India trade agreement, while continued FII outflows weighed on the Indian rupee," Nair said.
2. Top gainers in the Nifty 50 index
Titan Company (up 2.17%), Hindalco Industries (up 1%), and Nestle India (up 0.82%) ended as the top gainers in the index.
3. Top losers in the Nifty 50 index
Asian Paints (down 1.40%), Shriram Finance (down 1.37 %), and Bajaj Finance (down 1.30%) ended as the top losers in the index. As many as 35 stocks ended with losses in the index.
4. Sectoral indices
Barring Nifty Metal (up 0.59%), Consumer Durables (up 0.34%), and FMCG (up 0.03%), all sectoral indices ended lower.
Nifty IT (down 1.03%) ended as the top loser. Nifty Media (down 0.62%), Auto (down 0.52%), and Financial Services (down 0.49%) also lost significantly. Nifty Bank fell 0.29% to 59,011.35.
5. Most active counters
Vodafone Idea (51.7 crore shares), Tata Silver Exchange Traded Fund (17.43 crore shares), and Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) (16.4 crore shares) were the most active counters in terms of volume on the NSE.
6. 11 stocks jump more than 15%
Prakash Steelage, Cubex Tubings, Ravelcare, Mach Conferences, and Shree Metalloys were among the 11 stocks that surged more than 15% on the BSE.
(By arrangement with livemint.com)
