Markets Slip: Sensex Drops 511 Points, Nifty Closes Below 25,000; HCLTech Falls 2%

Markets End Lower Amid Middle East Tensions; Sensex Sheds 511 Points, Nifty Below 25,000.

Indian equity markets closed in the red on Monday, weighed down by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and a sharp selloff in IT stocks.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex dropped 511.38 points to settle at 81,896.79, while the NSE Nifty50 slipped 140.50 points, ending just below the key 25,000-mark at 24,971.90.

The decline was triggered by investor unease following a U.S. airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend—an unexpected development that spiked crude oil prices and erased the market’s earlier optimism around de-escalation.

“The market had built up hopes on Friday that tensions would ease, especially after the U.S. hinted at a two-week window for diplomacy. But the airstrikes over the weekend caught investors off guard,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. “Still, domestic equities managed to recover much of the initial damage, aided by strength in capital goods and metal stocks.”

Sectoral Performance
IT stocks bore the brunt, as weak global cues and disappointing earnings from Accenture stoked concerns over tech spending. The Nifty IT index fell 1.48%, with Infosys (-2.29%), HCLTech (-2.10%), and L&T (-2.11%) among the top laggards.

Other key losers included Mahindra & Mahindra (-1.59%) and Hindustan Unilever (-1.29%).

On the flip side, several pockets of the market showed resilience. Trent led the gainers with a 3.61% surge, followed by BEL (+3.15%), Bajaj Finance (+1.20%), Kotak Mahindra Bank (+0.71%), and Bajaj Finserv (+0.58%).

Among sectoral indices:

Nifty Media soared 4.39%

Nifty Consumer Durables rose 0.82%

Nifty Metal gained 0.56%

Nifty Pharma edged up 0.05%

Nifty Oil & Gas inched higher by 0.10%

Meanwhile, broader market indices outperformed:

Nifty Midcap 100 rose 0.36%

Nifty Smallcap 100 gained 0.70%

The India VIX, a measure of market volatility, climbed 2.74%, reflecting heightened investor nervousness.

Sectors under pressure included Nifty Auto (-0.92%), FMCG (-0.74%), Healthcare (-0.21%), Financial Services (-0.20%), and Private Bank (-0.17%).