New Delhi: Extending losses for a second session, the 30‑share Sensex ended at 73,524.26 (down 0.97%) and the Nifty closed at 23,123 (down 1.04%), driven by a nearly 4.1% jump in Brent, sustained FII outflows and a weak rupee
Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty slumped nearly 1 percent on Monday, following a massive sell-off in global equities and a sharp rise in crude prices amid intensifying tensions in West Asia.
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Besides, unabated foreign capital outflows and a weak rupee against the US dollar also weighed on investor sentiment, traders said.
Extending losses for the second straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 719.08 points, or 0.97 percent, to settle at 73,524.26. During the day, it dived 924.4 points, or 1.24 percent, to 73,318.94.
The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 243.70 points, or 1.04 percent, to 23,123. In intra-day trade, the benchmark lost 296.55 points, or 1.26 percent, to 23,070.15.
A total of 3,117 stocks declined, while 1,249 advanced and 171 remained unchanged on the BSE.
"Iran's missile strikes on Israel in retaliation for Israel's actions in Lebanon have pushed Brent crude prices nearly 3 percent higher to around USD 96/bbl, raising concerns around inflation and external sector pressures.
"Commodity-led inflation, weaker monsoon expectations and sustained Foreign Institutional Investor outflows are likely to keep the near-term backdrop challenging. Globally, profit booking in AI and semiconductor stocks, along with liquidity-driven selling ahead of SpaceX's mega IPO, further added to global risk-off sentiment," Siddhartha Khemka - Head of Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, said.
Among the Sensex constituents, Eternal, Mahindra & Mahindra, Trent, InterGlobe Aviation, Reliance Industries and Tata Consultancy Services were among the biggest laggards.
In contrast, Power Grid, Tech Mahindra, Bharat Electronics and Bharti Airtel were among the winners.
The BSE SmallCap Select index tanked 1.61 percent, and the MidCap Select index dropped 1.51 percent.
Sectorally, Realty dived 2.57 percent, metal (2.43 per cent), Telecommunication (2.28 percent), Commodities (2.09 percent), Industrials (2.06 percent), Capital Goods (1.98 percent) and Auto (1.85 percent).
"The renewed escalation, which came despite calls for restraint from the United States, heightened fears of a prolonged regional conflict and a further disruption to global energy supplies," Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 4.10 percent to USD 96.91 per barrel.
The rupee depreciated 56 paise to settle at 95.74 (provisional) against the American currency on Monday.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended significantly lower. The Kospi plunged 8.29 percent, while the Nikkei 225 index dropped 3.85 percent.
US markets ended sharply lower on Friday. The Nasdaq Composite tanked 4.18 percent, while the S&P 500 dropped 2.64 percent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.35 percent.
"Global sentiment has weakened amid a flare-up of tensions in the Middle East, pushing crude towards USD 100/bbl. Simultaneously, global technology stocks have witnessed a sell-off, as investors begin to question the sustainability of the AI-led rally.
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"Selling pressure was also seen in semiconductor-heavy indices, showing early signs of valuation fatigue and positioning unwind, although it is premature to classify this as a trend reversal," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 8,776.25 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
On Friday, the Sensex declined 116.67 points, or 0.16 percent, to settle at 74,243.34. The Nifty dipped 49.85 points, or 0.21 percent, to end at 23,366.70.
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