Indian Stock Market Ends Lower: Sensex Falls 71 Points, Nifty Slips Below 24,400
Indian stock markets closed lower as rising crude oil prices and prolonged US-Iran tensions weighed on sentiment. The Sensex fell 70.71 points to 78,009.25, while the Nifty declined 29.85 points to 24,366.
Prasanth Subramani
Indian stock markets ended lower on Friday as rising crude oil prices and prolonged tensions between the United States and Iran weighed on investor sentiment. Both benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty 50, closed in negative territory.
The BSE Sensex fell sharply during the morning session, declining as much as 395.59 points to 77,684.37. The index recovered some of its losses later in the day but ultimately closed 70.71 points lower at 78,009.25.
The NSE Nifty 50 also ended lower, declining 29.85 points to settle at 24,366. The market remained volatile throughout the session as investors monitored developments in global crude oil prices and geopolitical tensions.
Among the Sensex constituents, Asian Paints, InterGlobe Aviation, NTPC, Power Grid Corporation, State Bank of India, and HCL Technologies were among the notable decliners. On the other hand, Bharti Airtel, Adani Ports, ICICI Bank, and Titan ended higher.
Sectoral performance on the Nifty remained mixed. Auto, Energy, FMCG, Metal, Pharma, and Realty indices declined between 0.3% and 1%. Meanwhile, Consumer Durables and Media stocks gained nearly 1% each.
For the week, the Sensex declined 0.6%, while the Nifty fell 0.8%. The Nifty Midcap index dropped 0.5%, while the Smallcap index declined 0.7%, reflecting broader weakness across domestic equities.
Foreign Institutional Investors remained net sellers, with data showing that they sold shares worth ₹510.69 crore during Thursday's trading session. Continued foreign fund outflows added to the pressure on domestic markets.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225, and China's Shanghai Composite ended higher, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed lower. European markets were mostly trading higher, while US markets had ended positively in the previous session.
Meanwhile, global Brent crude oil prices rose 0.17% to $87.15 per barrel. Elevated oil prices remain a key concern for India, given the country's dependence on crude oil imports, and could continue to influence market sentiment in the near term.
