Mumbai– Indian equity markets ended lower on Wednesday, as investor sentiment turned cautious over U.S. President Donald Trump’s firm stance on an upcoming tariff deadline, triggering a risk-off mood across global markets.
After reaching an intra-day high of 83,935.29, the Sensex lost momentum and closed at 83,409.69 — down 287.6 points, or 0.34%. The Nifty 50 also declined, finishing 88.45 points lower at 25,453.4, a loss of 0.35%.
“Mixed global cues, particularly ahead of the impending tariff deadline, are driving investor caution,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. “Market attention is gradually shifting to crucial Q1 earnings, which have high expectations,” he added.
Despite the dip, Nair pointed to strong macroeconomic fundamentals and rising government spending as underlying trends supporting the broader market’s resilience.
Among Sensex constituents, the biggest losers were Bajaj Finserv, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, and Bharat Electronics. Meanwhile, top gainers included Tata Steel, Asian Paints, UltraTech Cement, Trent, Maruti Suzuki, and Sun Pharma.
Broader markets mirrored the benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap 100 index closing 0.14% lower and the Nifty Smallcap 100 slipping by 0.41%.
On the sectoral front, Nifty Metal, Consumer Durables, Auto, IT, Pharma, and Healthcare indices ended in positive territory. However, Nifty Realty, Financial Services, Banking, Oil & Gas, and Media sectors weighed on the market with notable losses.
The total market capitalization of all listed companies on the NSE stood at ₹5.35 trillion.
Meanwhile, the India VIX — a measure of market volatility — eased slightly by 0.66% to settle at 12.44, indicating a modest cooling of investor nervousness despite the day’s decline.
In the commodities market, gold traded within a narrow range ahead of key U.S. economic data releases. COMEX gold fluctuated between $3,327 and $3,340 per ounce, while MCX gold traded between ₹97,000 and ₹97,400 per 10 grams.
“Prices are expected to remain in the broader range of ₹96,500 to ₹97,850 as participants price in potential dollar weakness and upcoming U.S. data, including Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP), ADP employment numbers, and unemployment figures,” said Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst at LKP Securities. (Source: IANS)
