The decline in the country’s stock market deepened further during the first three trading sessions of the week. Continuous selling pressure dragged both benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty50, lower, extending recent losses. Market experts attribute this weakness to geopolitical instability, sustained foreign investor outflows, and mixed third-quarter financial results.
At the end of Wednesday’s trading session, the Sensex closed at 81,909 points, down 271 points or 0.32 per cent. The Nifty50 ended at 25,157 points, declining by 75 points or 0.30 per cent.
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Volatility during Wednesday’s session
During Wednesday’s trading, both benchmark indices had fallen by more than 1 per cent at one point. Before 1 PM, after absorbing a shock of nearly 1,000 points, the indices briefly recovered into positive territory. However, the rebound proved short-lived, and both indices slipped back into negative territory by the close.
As a result of the decline, the combined market capitalisation of stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange fell by ₹2 lakh crore.
Broader market and sectoral performance
Along with the benchmark indices, small-cap and mid-cap indices also witnessed notable declines. The BSE small-cap index fell by 0.80 per cent, while the mid-cap index declined by 1 per cent. On the sectoral front, all Nifty sectoral indices ended lower except metal, India tourism, oil and gas, and infrastructure. Nifty Capital Market recorded the steepest fall at 1.88 per cent, followed by Nifty Bank at 1.02 per cent and Nifty IT at 0.29 per cent.
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Among Nifty50 stocks, Eicher Motors (4.90 per cent), InterGlobe Aviation (1.40 per cent), and Max Healthcare (1.32 per cent) registered the highest gains. On the losing side, ICICI Bank (2.10 per cent), Trent (1.98 per cent), and Tata Consumer Limited (1.69 per cent) declined the most. A total of 27 stocks in the Nifty50 index ended the session in the red.
Amid the continued decline, share prices of more than 900 stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange touched their 52-week lows during Wednesday’s trading session.
