Stock Market: Sensex falls 297 pts, Nifty below 25,150; what’s next?

Domestic equity benchmarks, the Sensex and Nifty, ended lower on Tuesday as selling in heavyweights such as Bharat Electronics (BEL), Bajaj Finance, and Trent outweighed gains in Tech Mahindra and Hindustan Unilever.

At the closing bell, the Sensex declined 297.07 points, or 0.36 per cent, to close at 82,029.98, while the Nifty50 fell 81.85 points, or 0.32 per cent, to settle at 25,145.50. 

Bajaj Finance emerged as the top loser on the Sensex, falling 1.87 per cent to Rs 1,017.85. BEL followed with a 1.76 per cent decline, while Tata Steel, Trent, TCS and Asian Paints fell 1.71 per cent, 1.68 per cent, 1.60 per cent, and 1.46 per cent, respectively.

Five stocks, namely, Tata Motors, Bajaj Finance, TCS, Axis Bank and L&T, contributed heavily to the Sensex’s decline.

Among sectoral indices, the BSE Metal index was 0.95 per cent lower at 33,527.55, while the BSE Oil & Gas index fell 1.01 per cent to 27,035.

Within the BSE Sensex pack, Bajaj Finance and Eternal hit fresh 52-week highs at Rs 1,042.60 and Rs 351.95, respectively.

Overall, out of 4,331 actively traded stocks on the BSE, 1,325 ended higher, while 2,878 declined, and 128 closed unchanged. During the session, 133 stocks scaled their 52-week highs, whereas 153 slipped to 52-week lows. Meanwhile, 219 scrips were locked in their upper circuits and 180 in lower circuits.

Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said the muted start to the ongoing Q2 results and weaker-than-expected inflation data raised concerns about slow demand, intensifying profit booking. 

“Mid and small-cap stocks bore the brunt of the sell-off, underperforming large caps while sectoral losses were broad-based.  Volatility is expected in the short term; however, the market is in a safe zone on a medium-term basis, in anticipation of a rise in demand during the second half of FY26,” Nair said.