Representational image of a bronze sculpture of a bull on the premises of the Bombay Stock Exchange building. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

From the Sensex firms, State Bank of India, Trent, NTPC, Tata Motors, UltraTech Cement and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the gainers on August 11, 2025. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

 Among the Sensex firms, HCL Technologies, Infosys, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Tech Mahindra, Eternal, Tata Consultancy Services, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finance, Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank were the major laggards on August 6, 2025. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty began the trade on an optimistic note on Friday (February 14, 2025) after India and the United States agreed to conclude the first phase of a mutually beneficial ambitious trade pact by this year and set a target of USD 500 billion in annual bilateral trade by 2030.

A rally in the US markets overnight also drove the domestic equities higher.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex climbed 344.09 points to 76,483.06 in early trade. The NSE Nifty went up by 102.3 points to 23,133.70.

From the 30-share blue-chip pack, ICICI Bank, HCL Tech, Infosys, ITC, Tech Mahindra and Maruti were among the biggest gainers.

Adani Ports, Zomato, Sun Pharma and NTPC were among the laggards.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Shanghai and Hong Kong traded higher while Tokyo quoted lower.

The U..S. markets ended higher on Thursday.

In an ambitious move, India and the U.S. agreed to conclude the first phase of a mutually beneficial ambitious trade pact by this year and set a target of USD 500 billion in annual bilateral trade by 2030 even as President Donald Trump asserted that Washington will not spare New Delhi from reciprocal tariffs.

Issues relating to trade and tariffs figured extensively in a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump that took place hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new reciprocal tariff policy for all the trading partners of the US..

At a joint media briefing with Mr. Modi, Mr. Trump announced that he and Mr., Modi agreed on a deal that would facilitate India to import more US oil and gas to bring down Washington’s trade deficit with New Delhi.

“Early indications from the Modi-Trump talks are positive from the market perspective. India’s willingness to buy more oil & gas from the US can help reduce the trade deficit with the US. Even though Trump is unlikely to back down on reciprocal tariffs, India is treated as a friendly country and the bonhomie between the two leaders augurs well for India,” V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services, said.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹2,789.91 crore on February 13, 2025, according to exchange data.

“The oversold market can bounce back in the near-term but a sustained rally is unlikely since the FIIs continue to be on sell mode. Only a decline in dollar and US bond yields will turn the FIIs into buyers. So watch out for this space,” Mr. Vijayakumar added.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude went up by 0.23 per cent to USD 75.19 a barrel.

The BSE benchmark Sensex dipped 32.11 points or 0.04 per cent to settle at 76,138.97 on Thursday. The Nifty slipped 13.85 points or 0.06 per cent to 23,031.40.

People walk outside the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai. File photo
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty slumped in initial trade on Wednesday (February 12, 2025) as unabated foreign fund outflows and trade war fears continued to unnerve investors.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex declined 274.56 points to 76,019.04 in early trade. The NSE Nifty dropped 78.45 points to 22,993.35.

Both the benchmark indices further declined in the trade with the Nifty falling below the crucial 23,000-mark to trade at 22,915.40, down 156.40 points. The BSE benchmark gauge also dropped below 76,000-level to quote at 75,668.97, down 645.04 points.

In the past five days, the BSE bellwether gauge has slumped 2,290.21 points or 2.91 per cent, while the Nifty tanked 667.45 points or 2.81 per cent.

From the 30-share blue-chip pack, Mahindra & Mahindra, Zomato, Reliance Industries, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Asian Paints, ITC and Adani Ports were the biggest laggards.

Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech and Hindustan Unilever were among the gainers.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹4,486.41 crore on February 11, 2025, according to exchange data.

“Dalal Street is gripped by pessimism as fears mount over further declines if Nifty slips below the crucial 23,000-mark. Key factors weighing on sentiment include Rs 1 lakh crore in FII outflows this year and ongoing concerns about Trump’s tariff threats,” Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.

In Asian markets, Shanghai quoted lower while Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong were trading in the positive territory US markets ended mostly higher on Tuesday.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.34 per cent to USD 76.74 a barrel.

Declining for the fifth day running on Tuesday, the BSE Sensex dropped 1,018.20 points or 1.32 per cent to settle at a two-week low of 76,293.60. The Nifty cracked 309.80 points or 1.32 per cent to 23,071.80.

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty were trading in the positive territory on Friday (February 7, 2025) after the RBI under new Governor Sanjay Malhotra cut interest rate for the first time in nearly five years.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex traded 233.96 points higher at 78,290.08 in the late morning trade. The NSE Nifty quoted 83.40 points up at 23,686.75.

From the 30-share blue-chip pack, Bharti Airtel’s stock surged nearly 5% after the firm reported a more than five-fold jump in consolidated net profit to ₹16,134.6 crore boosted by consolidation of the Indus Tower business and benefits of tariff hikes flowing into the quarter.

Tata Steel, NTPC, Mahindra & Mahindra and Zomato were the other gainers.

The stock of ITC declined nearly 2% after the diversified entity reported a 7.27% decline in consolidated net profit to ₹5,013.16 crore for the December quarter on account of subdued demand and sharp escalation in input costs.

State Bank of India, Tata Consultancy Services, Nestle, ICICI Bank and PowerGrid were also among the laggards.

Interest rate sensitive realty and auto stocks were trading in the positive territory.

The RBI under new Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday cut interest rate for the first time in nearly five years as the central bank pivoted the policy stance to support a shuttering economy.

The 25 basis points rate cut to 6.25% comes after last rate reduction in May 2020. The last revision of rates happened in February 2023 when the policy rate was hiked by 25 basis points to 6.5%.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously decided to slash policy rate by 25 basis points to 6.25%, Mr. Malhotra said.

The interest rate cut comes within a week of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Budget 2025-26 providing biggest ever tax break to the middle class to boost consumption after the economy has slowed to its lowest pace since the pandemic.

“In a landmark decision, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s Monetary Policy Committee has reduced the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, the first cut in five years, aiming to stimulate economic growth while closely monitoring inflation. This move aligns with global central banks, which have been easing rates since last year to counter economic slowdowns.

“However, this decision is expected to widen the gap between U.S. and Indian bond yields, potentially accelerating capital outflows from India. With US bond yields on an upward trajectory, the Indian Rupee (INR) is facing added depreciation pressure, exacerbating currency risks. Given these challenges, the rate cut could prove to be a balancing decision on currency stability and stimulating consumption,” Umeshkumar Mehta, CIO, SAMCO Mutual Fund, said.

In Asian markets, Seoul and Tokyo were quoting lower while Hong Kong traded in the positive territory.

U.S. markets ended mostly higher on Thursday.

“A rate cut that was widely anticipated and priced in was delivered by the RBI MPC. Policy rate reduction was clearly a question of timing in the current context considering the evolving situation on the currency led by global factors and capital flows,” Rajeev Radhakrishnan, CIO – Fixed Income, SBI Mutual Fund, said.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.51% to USD 74.68 a barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 3,549.95 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.

On Thursday, the BSE bellwether gauge dropped 213.12 points or 0.27% to settle at 78,058.16. The Nifty declined 92.95 points or 0.39% to 23,603.35.

The 30-share BSE Sensex opened on a negative note to plunge 202.87 points, or 0.26%, to 76,202.12 in the morning trade. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty pared all the losses to trade higher early on Thursday (January 23, 2025) following buying in IT stocks and a rally in Asian markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex opened on a negative note to plunge 202.87 points, or 0.26%, to 76,202.12 in the morning trade. On the similar lines, NSE Nifty also fell 64.7 points, or 0.27%, to 23,090.65.

However, BSE benchmark soon recovered the losses and rose 152.54 points, or 0.20%, to trade at 76,557.53 while Nifty went up 37.10 points, or 0.16%, to 23,192.45.

Among the Sensex shares, Zomato, UltraTech Cement, Tech Mahindra, Mahindra & Mahindra, Sun Pharmaceutical, Infosys, Tata Motors, Bajaj Finserv, and ITC were among the gainers.

Hindustan Unilever, Nestle India, State Bank of India, Axis Bank, HCL Technologies, Adani Ports, and Reliance Industries were among the laggards.

In Asian markets, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong were trading in positive territory while Seoul was quoting in the negative.

U.S. markets ended higher in overnight deals on Wednesday (January 22, 2025).

Global oil benchmark Brent crude fell 0.34% to $78.73 a barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹4,026.25 crore on Wednesday (January 22, 2025), according to exchange data.

On Wednesday (January 22, 2025), the 30-share BSE Sensex surged 566.63 points to close at 76,404.99 and the NSE Nifty climbed 130.70 points to settle at 23,155.35.

Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Friday (January 3, 2025) dragged by bank and IT stocks ahead of the start of earnings season next week.

The 30-share BSE Sensex went lower by 181.04 points to 79,762.67 despite a positive beginning. The NSE Nifty dipped 56.55 points to 24,132.10.

From the Sensex, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, ITC, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Sun Pharma and HDFC Bank were the major laggards.

NTPC, Tata Motors, Nestle and Adani Ports were among the gainers.

In Asian markets, Seoul and Hong Kong quoted in the positive territory while Shanghai traded lower.

US markets were in the negative territory on Thursday.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned buyers on Thursday after remaining net sellers for the past many days. They bought equities worth ₹1,506.75 crore, according to exchange data.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude went up by 0.30 per cent to USD 76.16 a barrel.

The Sensex jumped 1,436.30 points or 1.83 per cent — its best single-day gain in more than a month — to settle at 79,943.71 on Thursday. The Nifty surged 445.75 points or 1.88 per cent to 24,188.65.

An employee of a stock trading firm looking at a share price on his computer in Mumbai. File photo
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Tuesday (December 31, 2024) amid persistent foreign fund outflows, and weak trends in the global markets.

Selling in IT stocks also dampened investor sentiments.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex tanked 468.14 points to 77,779.99 in initial trade. The NSE Nifty dropped 117.05 points to 23,527.85.

From the 30 blue-chip pack, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Zomato, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance and ICICI Bank were the major laggards.

Kotak Mahindra Bank, State Bank of India, Tata Motors and Tata Steel were among the gainers.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,893.16 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.

In Asian markets, Seoul and Shanghai were trading lower while Hong Kong quoted in the positive territory.

US markets ended lower on Monday.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.30 per cent to USD 74.39 a barrel.

The 30-share BSE benchmark tumbled 450.94 points or 0.57 per cent to settle at 78,248.13 on Monday. The Nifty declined 168.50 points or 0.71 per cent to 23,644.90.

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty opened on a positive note in early trade on Thursday amid buying in blue-chip stocks like HDFC Bank and State Bank of India.

The BSE benchmark Sensex rose 95 points to 80,329.08 in early trade. The NSE Nifty went up 48.15 points to 24,323.05.

From the 30-share Sensex pack, HDFC Bank, Adani Ports, ITC, State Bank of India, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Motors, IndusInd Bank and Tata Steel were among the gainers.

Tech Mahindra, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services and Power Grid were among the laggards.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth ₹7.78 crore on Wednesday (November27, 2024), according to exchange data.

“The consolidation phase in the market is likely to continue in the near-term. A clear positive for the market is the cessation of relentless selling by Foreign Instututional Investors (FIIs). This will give confidence to retail investors to again start buying aggressively.

“But there is no room for such high optimism. Strong dollar is a negative for emerging markets and, therefore, FIIs are unlikely to turn aggressive buyers,” V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services, said.

In Asian markets, Seoul and Tokyo were trading in the green while Shanghai and Hong Kong quoted lower.

The US markets ended lower on Wednesday.

Vijayakumar added that large institutions would prefer to wait and watch for clarity on US President Elect Donald Trump’s policies and its likely impact on trade and the global economy.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.21 per cent to USD 72.68 a barrel.

On Wednesday, the BSE benchmark climbed 230.02 points or 0.29 per cent to settle at 80,234.08. The Nifty rose 80.40 points or 0.33 per cent to 24,274.90.