Domestic equity markets declined in early trade on Friday, pressured by geopolitical concerns and ongoing fourth-quarter earnings announcements.
The BSE Sensex fell around 400 points, or 0.51 per cent, to trade near 77,263, while the Nifty 50 slipped about 0.41 per cent, or 100 points.
Selling was seen across IT, financial and pharmaceutical stocks, although some buying support emerged in FMCG and chemical shares.
Among major losers were Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, ICICI Bank, Cipla, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Sun Pharma.
Sectoral indices largely traded in negative territory, with the Nifty IT index dropping 1.57 per cent. The Nifty Private Bank index declined 0.31 per cent, while the Nifty Pharma index slipped 0.27 per cent.
Market participants pointed to continued volatility driven by global uncertainties, advising a cautious approach.
Analysts suggested investors focus on fundamentally strong companies and consider accumulating them during dips. They added that a clearer upward trend may emerge only if the Nifty moves decisively above the 24,500 mark, which could indicate improving market sentiment.
Global cues also remained mixed. Crude oil prices moved higher, with Brent crude rising nearly 2 per cent to around $107 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed about 2 per cent to $97.6.
In Asia, markets showed a mixed trend, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 trading higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index and South Korea’s KOSPI were in the red.
On the institutional side, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued to offload equities for a fourth straight session on Thursday, selling shares worth Rs 3,254 crore. In contrast, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) remained net buyers, purchasing equities worth Rs 941 crore.
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