Sensex, Nifty Start Flat; Auto, Pharma Stocks Drag

India’s benchmark indices opened flat on Tuesday, 17 June 2025, amid weak cues from Asian markets and lingering geopolitical concerns.

The early trade session saw pressure on key sectors, including auto, information technology, and pharmaceuticals.

As of 9:28 AM, the BSE Sensex was trading 186.35 points or 0.23 per cent lower at 81,609.80.

Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty declined by 68.20 points or 0.27 per cent to 24,878.30.

Broader indices also followed suit, with the Nifty Bank index down 30.10 points at 55,914.80.

The Nifty Midcap 100 index dipped 36.40 points to trade at 58,732.10, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 dropped 66.30 points to 18,482.90.

Market analysts attributed the cautious tone to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump on Iran, which heightened investor unease about the Middle East conflict.

Despite geopolitical instability, experts noted that global equity markets have largely remained resilient.

Expert views on market sentiment

“The primary source of this resilience is the strength of retail investor participation. Every dip is being viewed as a buying opportunity, regardless of current valuations,” said Dr VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

In early trade, major gainers on the Sensex included Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, NTPC, PowerGrid, Adani Ports, ICICI Bank, SBI, TCS and HCL Technologies.

Conversely, stocks such as Tata Motors, Sun Pharma, IndusInd Bank, UltraTech Cement, Titan and Bajaj Finance were among the top losers.

Institutional activity revealed a mixed picture. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers, offloading equities worth ₹2,287.69 crore on 16 June.

In contrast, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) were net buyers, purchasing equities worth ₹5,607.64 crore.

Asian markets showed a mixed trend. While indices in Bangkok, Jakarta, Japan and Seoul were trading higher, Hong Kong and China were in the red, adding to the uncertainty for Indian investors.

Meanwhile, in the US, Wall Street had a positive close on Monday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 317.30 points to 42,515.09.

The S&P 500 gained 56.14 points to close at 6,033.11, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq advanced by 294.39 points to 19,701.21.

Looking ahead, attention now turns to the two-day policy meeting of the US Federal Reserve, which begins on Tuesday.

Markets widely expect interest rates to remain unchanged.

However, investors will closely monitor comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell for insights on future policy direction.

“Given recent data suggesting cooling inflation alongside economic resilience, any signals from the Fed on potential rate adjustments will be pivotal for market sentiment,” said Devarsh Vakil, Head of Prime Research at HDFC Securities.

Also Read: Sensex, Nifty Rise Nearly 1% Despite Rising West Asia Tensions