Mumbai– Indian stock markets ended Tuesday in the red as escalating tensions between Israel and Iran rattled investor confidence and triggered a volatile trading session. Despite some buying in auto and private banking stocks, the broader sentiment remained cautious.
The BSE Sensex dipped 138.64 points, or 0.17%, to close at 81,444.66 after touching an intraday low of 81,237. The NSE Nifty also declined by 41.35 points, or 0.17%, finishing at 24,812.05.
“The long-term outlook remains positive, supported by strong domestic macro fundamentals,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. “Until global uncertainties subside, investors may stick to high-quality large-cap stocks.”
Market participants remained on edge ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy announcement later in the day. Concerns over inflation — especially amid the threat of new tariffs — may prompt the Fed to hold interest rates steady, Nair added.
In the Sensex basket, top laggards included TCS, Hindustan Unilever, Nestle India, Bajaj Finserv, and NTPC, with losses of up to 1.79%. On the flip side, IndusInd Bank, Titan, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Asian Paints, and Bharti Airtel posted gains, rising as much as 4.4%.
Broader indices also struggled. The Nifty Midcap 100 slipped 0.46%, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 lost 0.23%.
Among sectoral indices, Nifty Media was the worst performer, tumbling 1.27%. Other sectors — including IT, metals, oil & gas, realty, energy, PSU banks, and FMCG — also ended in negative territory. However, consumer durables, auto, and banking stocks provided some support and closed with modest gains.
Investor caution was further heightened ahead of comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, as markets look for signals on possible rate cuts and his assessment of the impact of rising crude oil prices on the U.S. economy.
Meanwhile, the India VIX — a measure of market volatility — edged down 0.89% to 14.27, suggesting relatively steady investor sentiment despite the geopolitical overhang. (Source: IANS)
