Mumbai: Indian stock markets faced a tough day on Thursday, with the BSE Sensex falling 345.80 points, or 0.41 percent, to close at 83,190.28. The NSE Nifty also slipped 120.85 points, or 0.47 percent, ending at 25,355.25. The drop was mainly due to selling in IT and telecom stocks. Investors were nervous as the earnings season began, with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) set to announce its first-quarter results later that day. Uncertainty about US tariffs also made traders cautious, affecting market mood.
Key Losers and Gainers
Among Sensex companies, Bharti Airtel, Asian Paints, Infosys, Bharat Electronics, Tech Mahindra, and Eternal saw big losses, pulling the index down. However, some stocks like Maruti, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Trent, and TCS managed to gain, offering some support. Despite the domestic market’s struggles, positive trends in global markets, especially in South Korea, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, helped limit the overall decline.
Global and Trade Context
While Asian markets like South Korea’s Kospi and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended higher, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed lower. European markets were mostly up, and US markets had ended positively on Wednesday. Meanwhile, India is preparing for trade talks with the US to address differences in sectors like agriculture and automobiles. The US has extended additional import duties of 26 percent on India until August 1, and India is pushing to remove these tariffs, adding to market uncertainty.
Investor Activity and Oil Prices
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought stocks worth Rs 77 crore on Wednesday, showing some confidence. Global oil prices, with Brent crude falling 0.27 percent to USD 70 a barrel, also influenced market sentiment. On Wednesday, Sensex and Nifty had seen smaller declines, setting the stage for Thursday’s cautious trading.
(With PTI Inputs)
