MUMBAI– Indian equities closed lower for the fifth straight session Thursday as profit booking, foreign investor outflows, and heavy selling in technology shares weighed on the markets.
The Sensex fell 555.95 points, or 0.68 percent, to end at 81,159.68 after slipping to an intraday low of 81,092.89. The index opened weak at 81,574.31 against the previous close of 81,715.63. The Nifty 50 dropped 166.05 points, or 0.66 percent, to settle at 24,890.85.
Analysts said investor sentiment remained cautious amid uncertainty over U.S.-India trade talks, expectations of weaker second-quarter GDP growth, and persistent foreign institutional investor selling. While broad-based declines hit auto, pharma, and IT counters, metal stocks gained on the back of Chinese liquidity measures and copper supply concerns.
From the Sensex basket, losses were led by TCS, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Tata Motors, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, and Kotak Bank. Axis Bank, BEL, and Bharti Airtel were among the few gainers.
Sectoral indices reflected the weakness: Nifty IT slid 445 points (1.27 percent), Nifty Auto fell 249 points (0.92 percent), and Nifty Financial Services dropped 141 points (0.53 percent). Nifty Bank slipped 145 points (0.26 percent), while FMCG shed 270 points (0.49 percent).
The broader market also declined, with the Nifty Next 50 losing 514 points (0.75 percent), Nifty Midcap 100 down 368 points (0.64 percent), and Nifty Small Cap 100 off 102 points (0.57 percent).
Overall, traders remained wary ahead of India’s H2 FY26 borrowing schedule and key U.S. macroeconomic data due later this week. (Source: IANS)
