Share Market Today: Sensex Sheds 663 Points; Nifty Below 24,200. IndusInd Bank Slips 18%
The two key equity benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, on Friday extended their losing run for fifth straight session amid selling pressure and muted earnings growth. The BSE Sensex declined 663 points to 79,402. On the other hand, the NSE Nifty50 closed at 24,180.80, down 219 points.
Stock update
On the 30-share Sensex platform, IndusInd Bank plunged 18 per cent. M&M, L&T, NTPC, Adani Ports, Tata Steel emerged losers. On the flip side, ITC, Axis Bank, HUL, Sun Pharma, Kotak Bank, HCL Tech were among the gainers.
In the broader markets, the BSE MidCap index declined by 1.48 per cent and the BSE SmallCap index fell by 2.4 per cent on Friday.
The markets remained under heavy bearish pressure, with around 3,087 stocks on the BSE ending in the red, while 856 stocks advanced. The combined market capitalisation of all companies listed on the BSE reached Rs 437.7 trillion.
Sectoral update
Across sectors, indices for Nifty Auto, Media, Metal, and PSU Bank each dropped by 2 per cent. On the other hand, defensive sectors like Nifty Pharma and FMCG showed resilience, gaining up to 0.88 per cent.
In the previous session on Thursday, the BSE Sensex dipped 17 points to 80,065, while the NSE Nifty50 closed at 24,399, down 36 points.
Global update
In Asian markets, Seoul, Shanghai and Hong Kong settled higher, while Tokyo ended lower. European equity markets were trading in positive territory. The US markets ended mostly higher on Thursday.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 5,062.45 crore on Thursday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought Rs 3,620.47 crore shares, according to exchange data.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.42 per cent to $74.69 a barrel.
Rupee at all-time low
The rupee dived deeper to settle near all-time low at 84.08 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday weighed down by a firm American currency and unprecedented foreign fund outflows. Forex traders said the selling rush by foreign investors in pursuit of better gains from the Chinese market sent the domestic equity markets into a tailspin, dragging the benchmark indices down by nearly 8 per cent in the past two weeks.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the domestic unit opened at 84.07 against the greenback and traded in a tight range of 84.07 to 84.09 during the session.
The unit finally settled at 84.08 (provisional) against the dollar, 1 paisa lower from its Thursday’s closing level. The local currency has touched its lowest closing level of 84.10 against the dollar on October 11.
