Indian stock markets ended Tuesday’s session lower as selling pressure in financial and private sector banking stocks overshadowed gains in auto and IT counters, with investor sentiment dampened by concerns over US trade tariffs. The S&P BSE Sensex fell 368.49 points to close at 80,235.59, while the NSE Nifty50 declined 97.65 points to settle at 24,487.40. Analysts attributed the weakness to caution ahead of key US inflation data and the market’s reaction to developments in global tariff negotiations.
Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited, noted that the market exhibited volatility amid uncertainty over the U.S.–China tariff truce extension, with investors weighing its potential implications for the US Federal Reserve’s policy stance. He added that while domestic inflation is expected to remain below the RBI’s target range, global cues are currently dominating sentiment.
Among Sensex constituents, Maruti Suzuki India led the gainers with a 2.06% rise, followed by Tech Mahindra (up 1.90%), Mahindra & Mahindra (1.66%), NTPC (1.16%), and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (0.91%). On the losing side, Bajaj Finance dropped 2.87%, Trent slipped 1.36%, Hindustan Unilever shed 1.35%, HDFC Bank lost 1.31%, and Eternal declined 1.10%. Losses in financial and FMCG majors outweighed the advances in auto and IT shares, pushing the benchmarks lower.
In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap100 index slipped 0.27%, while the Nifty Smallcap100 inched up 0.04%. The India VIX, a gauge of market volatility, edged higher by 0.12%. Sector-wise, indices that gained included Nifty Auto (0.56%), Nifty IT (0.38%), Nifty Media (0.60%), Nifty Metal (0.38%), Nifty Pharma (0.69%), Nifty Healthcare Index (0.59%), and Nifty Oil & Gas (0.40%). Those ending in the red were Nifty Financial Services 25/50 (-0.90%), Nifty FMCG (-0.50%), Nifty PSU Bank (-0.08%), Nifty Private Bank (-0.81%), Nifty Realty (-0.73%), and Nifty Consumer Durables (-0.65%).
