Dalal Street ended another session in red after witnessing major volatility throughout the day. The BSE Sensex settled at 82,102, taking a hit of more than points, while the NSE Nifty50 closed for the day below 25,200, falling less than 20 points.
On the 30-share Sensex, Axis, Bajaj Finance, Maruti, SBI, and Kotak Bank settled among the gainers. On the other hand, the laggards included Trent, Tech M, HUL, UltraTech Cement, and Asian Paints.
In the broader markets, the Nifty Smallcap50 bled 0.53 per cent. Sectorally, the FMCG index crashed 1.29 per cent, while the PSU Bank index climbed 1.09 per cent.
“The domestic equity market traded rangebound and ended flat, indicating continuation of the consolidation. Broader sentiment stayed cautious, with small- and mid-cap stocks lagging the benchmarks. Sector-wise, autos, metals, and financials gained on signs of robust festive demand post-GST cuts, while FMCG and realty stocks came under pressure from profit booking,” explained Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd.
Notably, Indian equities started Tuesday’s session with modest gains, supported by a positive trend across global markets. Early trade witnessed buying interest in auto, IT, and financial services counters, though banking and cement stocks remained under pressure.At 9:22 AM, the Sensex advanced 122.13 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 82,282.10. The Nifty climbed 35.85 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 25,238.20.
According to analysts, the Nifty’s near-term trajectory hinges on whether the index holds above the 25,200–25,000 range. “Early moves may retain a positive bias if above 25,238, but it would require a direct rise above the 25,278/335 region to attract momentum,” experts noted.
Market strategists flagged that sustained foreign institutional investor (FII) selling remains the biggest drag since the September 2024 peak. The shift is attributed to elevated Indian valuations compared to more attractive opportunities overseas.
FIIs have offloaded equities worth Rs 121,210 crore in 2024, while in the current year, they have sold Rs 179,200 crore so far through the exchanges. On September 22 alone, FIIs were net sellers of Rs 2,910.09 crore, even as domestic institutional investors (DIIs) stepped in with net purchases of Rs 2,582.63 crore.
