Indian Stock Markets End Weak; Sensex Falls 251 Points, Nifty Holds Above 24,000
Indian stock markets closed lower amid selling pressure and rising crude oil prices, while the rupee hit a fresh record low against the US dollar.
Prasanth Subramani 
Indian equity benchmarks, BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50, ended the trading session on a weak note, giving up most of the gains from the previous day.
After a sluggish start, markets witnessed increased selling pressure during mid-session, dragging the Nifty to an intraday low of 23,882.05. However, late buying helped indices recover part of their losses by the close.
At the end of the session, the Sensex declined 251.61 points to settle at 77,017.79, while the Nifty slipped 86.50 points to close at 24,032.80.
Market Performance & Sector Trends
Midcap and smallcap indices managed to close slightly higher despite the broader market weakness.
Sector-wise, auto, FMCG, power, pharma, and telecom stocks saw marginal gains of around 0.5%. On the downside, realty stocks dropped 1.4%, consumer goods declined 1%, and private banking stocks fell by 0.5%.
Top Movers
Among Sensex stocks, companies like Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Sun Pharma, and Maruti Suzuki witnessed declines. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Industries, Titan, and Bharat Electronics ended higher.
On the Nifty, stocks such as Jio Financial Services, ICICI Bank, Coal India, Tech Mahindra, and Eternal were among the losers. On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, Nestlé India, Bajaj Finserv, and Hindalco Industries posted gains.
Rupee Hits Record Low
The Indian currency weakened for the fifth consecutive session. The Indian Rupee fell to a new record low of ₹95.43 against the US Dollar during the day before settling at ₹95.29.
Key Drivers Behind the Decline
Rising geopolitical tensions, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, pushed global crude oil prices higher, which weighed heavily on investor sentiment. Brent crude traded around $113 per barrel, adding pressure to global markets.
Additionally, continued volatility in global markets and cautious investor sentiment contributed to the decline. Despite this, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net buyers, purchasing equities worth ₹2,835.62 crore in the previous session.
Stock-Specific Highlights
Manappuram Finance shares gained 1% after returning to profitability in Q4, while Aditya Birla Capital rose 3.6% following a 30% jump in consolidated profit. In contrast, Aarti Industries declined 5% despite strong revenue growth.
Over 140 stocks, including HFCL, Adani Power, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Adani Green Energy, and others, hit their 52-week highs on the BSE.
