Indian stock markets ended in the red on Tuesday as rising geopolitical tensions dampened investor sentiment, triggering broad-based selling across sectors.
The Sensex slipped by 155.77 points, or 0.19 per cent, to settle at 80,641.07, while the Nifty declined more sharply by 81.55 points, or 0.33 per cent, closing at 24,379.60.
Several major stocks dragged the indices lower. Eternal (formerly Zomato), State Bank of India (SBI), Tata Motors, and NTPC were among the top losers on the Sensex, falling between 1.94 per cent and 3.15 per cent.
However, some stocks managed to buck the trend. Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, and Nestlé India were among the ten Sensex gainers, with Bharti Airtel rising by 1.66 per cent.
Selling pressure was more pronounced in the broader market. The Nifty Midcap 100 index fell by 2.27 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 declined by 2.50 per cent, indicating deeper losses beyond frontline stocks.
Barring Nifty Auto, all sectoral indices on the NSE ended in negative territory, with Nifty PSU Bank emerging as the worst performer.
Out of 12 stocks in the PSU Bank index, 11 closed in the red, pulling the index down by 1.18 per cent to end the session at 54,271.40.
Among major drags, Bank of Baroda plunged 10.91 per cent, followed by Union Bank of India and Bank of India, which fell 6.19 per cent and 6.33 per cent, respectively.
The real estate sector also witnessed heavy losses. The Nifty Realty index declined by 3.58 per cent, led by a 6.36 per cent drop in Godrej Properties and a 4.96 per cent fall in Sobha Limited.
Adding to market jitters, the India VIX, often referred to as the fear index, rose by 3.58 per cent to 19 points, signalling heightened volatility.
The decline across indices reflects rising investor caution, with profit booking and weak global cues contributing to the negative sentiment, market experts noted.
— IANS
