Stock Market Today: Sensex Ends 539 Points Lower, Nifty Settles At 24,090

Indian equity markets posted notable losses on Thursday as the lack of progress in negotiations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz weakened investor optimism.

At the close, the Sensex fell 539 points, or 0.70 per cent, to 76,933, while the Nifty declined 116 points, or 0.48 per cent, to 24,090. The Nifty Bank, however, slipped 273 points, or 0.47 per cent, to settle at 57,509.

Expiry-led volatility and the absence of a diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East continued to keep markets range-bound in the near term.

Analysts noted that higher energy prices have already been factored into earnings expectations, while the recent moderation in crude oil prices and long-term bond yields is supporting the inflation outlook.

The broader markets largely moved in line with the benchmarks. The Nifty Midcap 100 declined 0.10 per cent, while the NSE Smallcap 100 fell 0.13 per cent. The Nifty Next 50 dropped 0.21 per cent.

Most sectoral indices on the NSE ended lower, with private banks, pharma and consumer durables being the exceptions, recording marginal gains.

Nifty Cement, Media, Metals and PSU Bank were among the biggest losers, declining 1.33 per cent, 0.89 per cent, 0.86 per cent and 0.94 per cent, respectively.

Technical Outlook

Analysts said the index had slipped below the rising channel on the daily timeframe, signalling increased bearishness. Its fall below the 50-day exponential moving average indicated a weakening trend.

The Indian rupee traded lower against the US dollar, rebounding to near 95.50 after touching a 10-day low of 95.40 in the previous session.

Foreign institutional investor inflows and resilient earnings momentum continued to support Indian equities, particularly mid-caps, where several segments remain relatively insulated from global uncertainties and benefit from strong domestic demand.

Investors are awaiting the US Federal Reserve chair’s upcoming Jackson Hole address for signals on inflation, interest rates and the broader policy outlook, which could influence global risk sentiment and capital flows into emerging markets.

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