Indian stock markets on Thursday opened sharply lower, with Sensex falling 872 points to 72,262 and Nifty dropping around 300 points to 22,383.40, reflecting investor caution amid renewed geopolitical concerns.
Trading in early hours saw further declines, with all sectors opening in the red. Banking, auto, chemicals, metals, realty, and healthcare led the losses.
Top laggards in the 50-scrip Nifty included Sun Pharma, IndiGo, Asian Paints, Shriram Finance, Larsen & Toubro, Axis Bank, Eternal, and Trent.
Analysts noted that sentiment was hit after US President Donald Trump avoided specifying a clear roadmap to resolve the West Asia conflict, signalling potential escalation.
Despite the early declines, experts highlighted a mildly bullish near-term outlook, underpinned by easing crude oil prices, improving geopolitical cues, and steady domestic institutional investor (DII) inflows. They cautioned, however, that markets are likely to remain volatile, with attention on crude oil movements, foreign institutional investor (FII) activity, and developments in West Asia.
The Indian rupee showed signs of stabilising after initial pressure, reflecting improved global risk sentiment.
Overseas, Wall Street ended higher overnight, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.72 per cent and the Nasdaq rising roughly 1 per cent, while major Asian indices, including Nikkei, Hang Seng, and KOSPI, traded lower.
Crude oil prices rebounded, with Brent futures surging 5.24 per cent to $106.47 per barrel and WTI rising 4.5 per cent to $104.64 as of 08:52 AM.
Wednesday’s trading saw FIIs offload shares worth Rs 8,331 crore in Indian markets, partially offset by DIIs purchasing equities worth Rs 7,171.80 crore, providing support amid heightened volatility.
Also Read: Markets Slide After US President Donald Trump’s Iran Warning
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