Indian equity benchmarks ended Friday’s session on a weak note, extending losses amid selling pressure across sectors. The Sensex closed at 82,500.47, down 689.81 points or 0.83%, while the Nifty 50 settled at 25,149.85, falling 205.40 points or 0.81%. The Nifty Bank index also declined, ending at 56,754.70 with a drop of 0.35%.
“The domestic market experienced a negative close due to a sober start to Q1 earnings season and a ramp-up in the tariff threat by the US to impose a 35% tariff on Canada. Investors may continue to be focused on quarterly earnings for a buy-on-dips strategy; however, in the near term, the current premium valuation and the global headwinds like low spending & tariff uncertainties may restrain new inflows. The IT index underperformed due to deferment in orders and new investments, which may impact FY26 earnings estimates,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments.
Let’s take a look at the key highlights of todays trading session
Top gainers in a falling market
Despite the sharp correction, a few stocks managed to stay in the green. Hindustan Unilever, Axis Bank, Sun Pharma, NTPC, and Eternal were among the top gainers in today’s trade.
Key laggards drag indices lower
Heavyweight stocks weighed heavily on the market. TCS, M&M, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, Titan, and Reliance Industries featured among the biggest laggards. Disappointing earnings, weak outlooks, and cautious investor sentiment contributed to the decline in these counters.
IT sector under pressure
The technology pack continued to face selling pressure, with the Nifty IT index falling nearly 3%i in the intra day. TCS led the fall with a 3% drop post its Q1 results, which failed to revive investor sentiment. Other tech names including Wipro, LTI Mindtree, Oracle Financial Services, HCL Tech, Infosys, Coforge, and Mphasis all slipped between 1-3%. Even Tech Mahindra, though less impacted, traded in the red.
Sectoral gainers
While the broader market was under pressure, some specific sectors managed to post gains. The Glass sector led with a 3.11% jump in market cap, followed by Personal Care, which rose 2.46%. The Transport sector edged higher by 1.09%, and Fertilisers posted a modest increase of 0.62%.
Global cues trigger broad-based selloff across sectors
“While weak European market cues and negative US Dow Futures weighed on sentiment, the disappointing start to earnings season by software major TCS cautioned investors about the sluggish global demand scenario that led to heavy selling in IT, telecom, auto, realty and oil & gas stocks. While all eyes will be on the outcome of the trade negotiations with the US, markets could see increased volatility in the near term,” said Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities.