Indian stock market opened lower on Thursday, marking a fifth consecutive decline as continued foreign fund outflows and US visa restrictions kept investors on edge.
At the start of trading, the BSE Sensex fell over 180 points to 81,574.31, while the Nifty 50 at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) dropped over 51 points to 25,034.50.
Among NSE stocks, Hindalco, Dr Reddy’s Labs, ONGC, Tata Steel, and Tata Consumer were the top gainers, while Tata Motors, Bajaj Finance, Titan Company, Maruti Suzuki, and Hero MotoCorp were the major losers. Overall, 1,182 stocks advanced, 1,186 declined, and 151 remained unchanged.
Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd noted that market sentiment remains subdued due to weak global cues, ongoing US-India trade concerns, and continued selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs).
Anand James, Chief Market Strategist at Geojit Investments Limited, said, “Although 25,000 held as a support level, the upswings failed to gain momentum beyond the 25,278–25,330 region, which we had identified as a potential upside marker. The 24,880–24,900 trajectory continues to persist.”
Overnight, US markets declined 0.3%, while Asian markets opened marginally lower amid stretched valuations in US equities. European stocks were mixed, with Germany and France gaining 0.3% each, and the UK declining 0.5%, as investors moderated optimism over US interest-rate cuts. Defence stocks advanced following US President Donald Trump’s comments on NATO and Ukraine.
In Asia, stocks traded in a tight range at the open. Shares in Japan and Australia edged higher, while South Korea retreated, reflecting fatigue in the AI-driven equity rally. The Gift Nifty is currently down 0.2%.
-ANI
