IGI Logo

The Indian stock market settled in negative territory on Thursday following selling in IT and banking stocks amid Q1 earnings, and FII outflows due to trade deal concerns. 

Sensex ended the session at 82,259.24, down 375.24 points or 0.45 per cent against last day's closing of 82,634.48. The 30-share index opened slightly up at 82,753.53, but dragged in negative territory amid selling in IT, and banking heavyweights like TCS, Infosys, and HDFC Bank. The index hit an intraday low at 82,219.27.

Nifty settled at 25,111.45, down 100.60 points or 0.40 per cent.

“Indian equity benchmarks ended marginally lower as investors exercised caution amid subdued Q1 earnings announcements, particularly in the technology and banking sectors,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd.

Market participants remained sidelined due to elevated valuations of large-cap stocks and FII outflows. However, any positive developments could amplify market sentiment, he added.

Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Infosys, Eternal, TCS, Axis Bank, Bajaj FinServ, and HDFC were the top losers among the Sensex basket. While Tata Steel, Trent, Tata Motors, and Titan settled in positive territory.

Meanwhile, 19 shares advanced and 31 declined from the Nifty50.

All broader indices concluded the session in red. Nifty Next 50 fell 159.10 points, Nifty Midcap 100 declined 100 points, and Nifty Smallcap 100 ended the day 22.75 points lower.

Meanwhile, sectoral indices fell as well. Nifty IT plunged 522 points, Nifty Bank fell 230 points, and Nifty Fin Services was down 106 points. At the same time, Nifty FMCG surged.

The rupee traded weak by 0.12 per cent at 86.02 as the dollar index found support near the 98.70 mark. Weakness in domestic capital markets also weighed on the rupee.

"Nifty remained mostly under selling pressure throughout the day as the index failed to move beyond the crucial resistance level of 25,260, leading to long unwinding. On the hourly chart, a consolidation breakout is visible, indicating weakening bullish momentum,” said Rupak De from LKP Securities.

The current sentiment appears bearish and may drag Nifty towards the 24,920–24,900 zone in the short term. On the higher side, 25,260 is likely to remain a strong resistance, said analysts.