Benchmark stock market indices closed lower on Friday, ending the week on a low as FMCG and PSU banking sector stocks offset gains in metal shares.
The S&P BSE Sensex lost 344.52 points to close at 84,211.88, while the NSE Nifty50 lost 96.25 points to end at 25,795.15.
Ashika Institutional Equities, said that the benchmark Nifty started the session below the 26,000 mark and remained under pressure throughout the day, eventually slipping below 25,800.
“Bank Nifty mirrored this weakness, reflecting broad-based selling across major sectors. Sentiment was further dampened after India’s Trade Minister reiterated that the country would not rush into trade agreements under restrictive conditions, weighing on investor confidence. Among sectors, Metals and Realty stocks showed relative strength, while weakness persisted in Banks, Consumer Goods, Healthcare, Financial Services, and Pharma counters,” he added.
At the closing bell, Bharti Airtel emerged as the top gainer on the BSE Sensex, surging 1.03%, followed by ICICI Bank which rose 0.88%. BEL gained 0.84%, Sun Pharma advanced 0.63%, and ITC climbed 0.30%.
Hindustan Unilever was the worst performer, plunging 3.20%, followed by UltraTech Cement which fell 1.92%. Kotak Mahindra Bank declined 1.65%, Adani Ports dropped 1.65%, and Titan slipped 1.57%.
At the closing bell, the Nifty Midcap 100 index declined 0.24% while Nifty Smallcap 100 fell 0.21%. India VIX, the volatility gauge, dropped 1.21%.
Among sectoral indices, Nifty Metal gained 1.03%, Nifty Realty rose 0.18%, and Nifty Oil and Gas advanced 0.20%.
Nifty Auto, Nifty Financial Services 25/50, Nifty FMCG, Nifty IT, Nifty Media, Nifty Pharma, Nifty PSU Bank, Nifty Private Bank, Nifty Healthcare Index, and Nifty Consumer Durables were in the red. Nifty Auto fell 0.40%, Nifty Financial Services 25/50 declined 0.38%, Nifty FMCG dropped 0.75%, Nifty IT slipped 0.26%, Nifty Media lost 0.40%, Nifty Pharma fell 0.55%, Nifty PSU Bank declined 0.74%, Nifty Private Bank dropped 0.81%, Nifty Healthcare Index slipped 0.83%, and Nifty Consumer Durables fell 0.52%.
