Sensex, Nifty End Lower For Third Consecutive Session On Sectoral Weakness

Indian equity benchmark indices closed lower for the third consecutive session on Wednesday as sustained selling pressure in select sectors dampened investor sentiment.

Weakness in media, realty and consumer durables stocks outweighed gains in a few heavyweight counters, keeping the broader market under pressure.

At the close of trade, the BSE Sensex settled at 84,559.65, down 120.21 points, or 0.14 per cent. The Nifty 50 also ended lower at 25,818.55, slipping 41.55 points, or 0.16 per cent.

Market experts said technical indicators suggest continued caution in the near term.

According to analysts, the Nifty faces strong resistance in the 25,900–26,000 zone, and any upside attempts are likely to meet selling pressure as long as the index remains below this level.

They added that the 25,700–25,750 range is a key near-term support.

A daily close below 25,700 could confirm a continuation of the ongoing correction, opening the door for a further decline towards the 25,550–25,400 levels.

Mixed Performance Among Heavyweights

Despite the overall weakness, several heavyweight stocks managed to post gains, offering limited support to the benchmarks.

Shares of SBI, Infosys, Axis Bank, Sun Pharma, Maruti Suzuki, TCS and Tata Steel ended higher, rising by up to 1.5 per cent.

However, losses in stocks such as Trent, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Bajaj Finserv dragged the indices lower, offsetting gains in other blue-chip names.

The broader market continued to underperform the benchmark indices.

The BSE MidCap index declined by 0.54 per cent, while the SmallCap index fell 0.73 per cent, reflecting persistent selling pressure in mid- and small-sized stocks.

On the sectoral front, media stocks recorded the sharpest losses, with the Nifty Media index sliding 1.7 per cent. This was followed by declines in consumer durables, realty and chemical stocks, which remained under pressure throughout the session.

In contrast, PSU bank and IT stocks ended the day in positive territory, providing some stability to the market amid widespread selling elsewhere.

Commodities and Currency Update

In the commodities market, silver prices continued their strong upward momentum. Silver March futures on the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX) touched fresh record highs, trading near the ₹2,05,665 level.

Meanwhile, the Indian rupee recovered against the US dollar during Wednesday’s session, supported by intervention from the Reserve Bank of India.

The local currency strengthened to around ₹89.81 per dollar, after rebounding sharply from recent lows near ₹91, snapping a multi-day losing streak.

Analysts said cautious investor sentiment and sector-specific selling kept equities under pressure, even as gains in select stocks and supportive cues from the currency and commodity markets offered limited relief.

Until clearer global and domestic cues emerge, markets are likely to remain range-bound with a negative bias in the near term.

Also Read: Sensex And Nifty Trade Cautiously As Global Cues Remain Subdued