Indian equity benchmarks ended lower for a third straight session on Wednesday as a weak rupee, sustained foreign fund outflows and uncertainty over the India–US trade deal continued to weigh on sentiment. Broader markets under-performed, deepening losses in mid and small caps.
The Sensex slipped 120 points, or 0.14 percent, to close at 84,559.65, while the Nifty 50 lost 42 points, or 0.16 percent, to settle at 25,818.55. The BSE Midcap index fell 0.53 percent and the Smallcap index declined 0.85 percent.
The sell-off shaved nearly ₹1.6 lakh crore off investor wealth, with the total market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies falling to ₹466 lakh crore from ₹467.64 lakh crore in the previous session.
1. Why markets fell for the third straight day
Indian equities struggled to find support amid a sharp fall in the rupee, continued foreign capital outflows and delays in finalising an India–US trade deal. The absence of near-term triggers has kept risk appetite muted.
Market participants expect volatility to persist until December-quarter earnings provide clarity and progress is seen on the trade front.
“Foreign investors are pulling out funds, and emerging markets are under pressure while developed economies remain resilient, indicating rising risk aversion,” said Vinod Nair of Geojit Investments.
“Currency stability may offer brief relief, but sustained foreign selling limits upside and keeps the bias negative,” he added.
2. Nifty 50 advance–decline
Of the 50 index constituents, 24 stocks ended higher while 26 closed in the red.
3. Top gainers on Nifty 50
Shriram Finance (up 2.07 percent), State Bank of India (up 1.58 percent) and Hindalco Industries (up 1.30 percent) led the gainers.
4. Top losers on Nifty 50
Max Healthcare Institute (down 3.71 percent), Apollo Hospitals Enterprise (down 1.98 percent) and Trent (down 1.66 percent) were the biggest laggards.
5. Sectoral performance
Nifty PSU Bank rose 1.29 percent, bucking the broader trend. IT (up 0.29 percent), Metal (up 0.25 percent) and Oil and Gas (up 0.23 percent) also ended higher.
6. Weak sectors
Media slipped 1.71 percent, Consumer Durables fell 0.96 percent, Realty declined 0.84 percent and FMCG ended 0.47 percent lower.
7. Banking and financials
Nifty Bank eased 0.18 percent, while the Financial Services index declined 0.49 percent.
8. Most active stocks by volume
Vodafone Idea (62.7 crore shares), Meesho (18.1 crore shares) and Ola Electric Mobility (14.9 crore shares) saw the highest trading volumes on the NSE.
9. Stocks bucking the trend
Despite weak market sentiment, 12 stocks surged more than 15 percent on the BSE, including Meesho, TCI Finance, Shish Industries, Transwarranty Finance and Apex Frozen Foods.
10. Advance–decline ratio
On the BSE, 1,475 stocks advanced, 2,694 declined and 159 remained unchanged, underscoring the broad-based weakness in the market.
(By arrangement with livemint.com)
