Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed lower on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), dragged by selling in HDFC Bank for the second day alongside risk-off sentiment amid escalating West Asia crisis.
Falling for the second day, the 30-share BSE Sensex declined 238.41 points, or 0.31%, to settle at 77,470.11 with nine of its constituents closing lower and 21 with gains. During the day, it dropped 371.19 points, or 0.47%, to 77,337.33.
The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped by 50.80 points, or 0.21%, to end at 24,187.70.
Escalating U.S.-Iran conflict, uptick in crude oil prices and persistent foreign fund outflows reinforced a risk-off sentiment in stock markets, experts said.
From the Sensex pack, HDFC Bank declined for the second day, down 2%, after the lender’s quarterly earnings disappointed on the margin front.
Among others, Reliance Industries dropped 1.48%, State Bank of India by 1.48%, Tata Consultancy Services by 1.32%, Infosys by 1.24% and Trent by 1.1%.
On the other hand, Bajaj Finserv emerged as the biggest gainer, rising by 2.07%. InterGlobe Aviation, UltraTech Cement, HCL Tech, Mahindra & Mahindra and Titan were also among the winners.
“Indian equity markets ended lower as investors remained risk-averse amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. On the domestic front, losses in Banking & Financials, driven by HDFC Bank’s post-earnings decline, outweighed stock-specific gains elsewhere, weighing on the benchmark indices,” Ponmudi R., CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.
Among sectors, PSU Bank declined by 0.82%, followed by Focused IT (0.68%), IT (0.66%), Top 10 Banks (0.52%), Energy (0.44%) and Financial Services (0.22%). Among gainers, MidSmall Private Banks Quality Tilt surged 2.94%, Realty jumped 1.08%, Commodities (0.98%), Telecommunication (0.97%), Auto (0.88%) and Services (0.45%).
Broader markets maintained their positive bias, with the BSE MidCap Select index going up by 0.20% and the SmallCap Select index edging higher by 0.16%.
“Despite geopolitical challenges, midcaps are performing well in anticipation of strong corporate earnings, supported by demand-led business updates,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.
“Investor sentiment improved following better-than-expected quarterly earnings from select large-cap companies, which helped offset concerns arising from weakness in the private banking space. However, renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, elevated crude oil prices, and continued uncertainty over the global interest rate outlook kept participants cautious,” Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹1,121.04 crore on Monday (July 20, 2026), according to exchange data.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, climbed 0.66% to $90.03 per barrel.
In Asian markets, South Korea’s KOSPI rebounded by 3.56%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 3.26% and Shanghai’s SSE Composite index went up by 1.79%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index ended marginally lower.
Markets in Europe were trading higher. U.S. markets ended lower on Monday (July 20, 2026).
On Monday (July 20, 2026), the Sensex declined 442.93 points, or 0.57%, to settle at 77,708.52. The Nifty edged lower by 95.80 points, or 0.39%, to end at 24,238.50.
Published – July 21, 2026 06:13 pm IST
