Sensex Off Day’s Lows, Down 360 Points; Nifty Near 25,550 as FMCG & Metal Stocks Rise

Stock Market Update: Sensex Off Lows, Down ~360 Points; Nifty Near 25,550 as FMCG, Metals Gain

Equity markets opened Monday on a weak note, with investors cautious amid domestic and global uncertainties. The BSE Sensex fell around 360 points to trade near 83,228, while the Nifty hovered near 25,550, down roughly 101 points.

Market Movers

Top Sensex losers included L&T, Power Grid, RIL, Adani Ports, BEL, Bharti Airtel, Infosys, Ultratech Cement, ICICI Bank, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, and IndiGo, with losses up to 1%. On the upside, HUL, ITC, and Axis Bank were the few gainers, providing some support.

In the broader market, Nifty MidCap slipped 1%, while Nifty SmallCap fell 1.5%. Sectoral indices were largely in the red:

Realty: –1.6%

Pharma: –0.97%

Auto: –0.6%

IT & Bank: –0.5%

Investor Sentiment

According to VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, the market is reacting to a combination of India-specific and global geopolitical events. Concerns over the US-India trade deal, tensions in Venezuela and Iran, and uncertainty over US tariff rulings have contributed to volatility. The India VIX indicates heightened market fluctuations ahead.

Investors are also keeping an eye on upcoming Q3 earnings from major tech and banking companies, including RIL, which could guide near-term market trends.

Global Cues

Asian markets traded mixed:

China CSI 300: –0.29%

Hong Kong Hang Seng: –0.09%

Japan Nikkei: +1.61%

South Korea KOSPI: +1.26%

Wall Street closed last week at record highs after US jobs data showed a slight drop in unemployment, with S&P 500 +0.65%, Dow +0.48%, Nasdaq +0.82%.

Commodities remained in focus, especially oil, amid ongoing protests in Iran. Geopolitical developments and US political moves, including scrutiny of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, have added to investor caution.