Sensex snaps 2-day winning run, Nifty flat; what’s next for stock market?

Domestic equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended Tuesday’s session on a flat note, with Sensex snapping its two-day winning run, as investors turned cautious in the absence of fresh triggers ahead of the year-end. The subdued sentiment was compounded by selling pressure in index heavyweights, including Infosys, Adani Ports and Bharti Airtel.

At close, the Sensex declined 42.64 points, or 0.05%, to settle at 85,524.84, while the Nifty closed 4.75 points or 0.02% higher to finish at 26,177.15.

Infosys emerged as top loser on the Sensex, falling 1.45% to Rs 1665.20. Tech Mahindra followed with a 1.02% decline, while Bharti Airtel, Adani Ports, Sun Pharma and Axis Bank dropped 0.97%, 0.95%, 0.93% and 0.68%, respectively.

Five stocks, namely Infosys, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries (RIL) and Axis Bank, contributed heavily to the Sensex’s decline.

Among sectoral indices, the BSE IT index declined 0.71% to close at 37,922.76, while the BSE PSU Bank fell 0.37% to settle at 4,727.60.

Overall, of the 4,365 actively traded BSE stocks, 2,296 closed higher, 1,887 declined, and 182 remained unchanged. During the session, 107 stocks touched their 52-week highs, while 85 fell to 52-week lows. Meanwhile, 215 scrips hit their upper circuits, and 136 were locked in lower circuits.

Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited, said the domestic market moved within a tight range and closed largely unchanged, weighed down by mixed signals from global markets.

“Selling pressure persisted across most sectors, though financials and FMCG offered marginal support. Going forward, investors are positioning for the next earnings season and monitoring evolving Fed policy expectations, as rate‑cut probabilities are slowly inching up for the January meeting. While an improving domestic demand outlook provides underlying support, uncertainty around global trade negotiations and the trajectory of the rupee will continue to influence sentiment," Nair said.