In a volatile trading session on Wednesday, the Indian stock markets concluded flat, continuing the trends seen in the previous day. Investor sentiment was affected by worries over overvaluation, tariff war threats, and currency depreciation. At the end of the session, the BSE Sensex was recorded at 74,029.76, a decline of 72.56 points or 0.10 per cent, while the Nifty of the National Stock Exchange fell by 27.40 points or 0.12 per cent to close at 22,470.50.
On the NSE, significant gainers included IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tata Motors, ITC, and Bajaj Finance, while Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Nestle, and TCS emerged as the top losers. At the BSE, the Midcap and Smallcap indices both recorded losses, down around 0.5 per cent each. Sectoral performances varied at the NSE, with autos, banking, and pharmaceuticals rising by approximately 0.5 per cent, while sectors such as metal, IT, realty, telecom, PSU Bank, and media saw declines ranging between 0.5 and 3 per cent.
Nifty opened positively but succumbed to selling pressure during the day, finishing on a negative note at 22,471. The volatility index, India VIX, decreased by 2.70 per cent to 13.69, indicating a reduction in market volatility. The Bank Nifty index showed resilience, maintaining buying interest and closing higher at 48,057. Technical and Derivatives Analyst Sundar Kewat cited global trade tensions, particularly President Trump’s threats to increase tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, as key factors dampening investor sentiment.
Bajaj Broking Research noted that buying interest around previous lows helped the Nifty recover most losses, closing slightly down by 0.12 per cent at 22,470.50. Broader market indices like Nifty midcap and small-cap finished down 0.6 per cent and 0.3 per cent, respectively. With crucial economic data concerning CPI and IIP from India and the US due post-market closure, analysts pinpoint ongoing corrections driven by factors like GDP contraction, trade deficits, and currency depreciation. Experts recommend accumulating value stocks for missed opportunities while current investors should hedge and remain optimistic for recovery, according to Stock Market Today’s Co-Founder VLA Ambala.
(With inputs from agencies.)
