Market close
Indian equity indices ended the session lower on Friday. The Nifty 50 dropped 1.27% to a new six-month low at the NSE close, while the BSE Sensex 30 fell 1.37% by the close of trade. Sector pressure came primarily from Banking, Real Estate and Auto names, which weighed on the broader market.
Top movers
Among Nifty 50 constituents, Bharat Electronics Ltd (NSE:BAJE) was the best performer, rising 2.09% or 9.60 points to finish at 469.60. Reliance Industries Ltd (NSE:RELI) added 1.34% or 18.60 points to close at 1,408.00, and Oil And Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (NSE:ONGC) gained 1.21% or 3.35 points to end at 279.70.
On the downside, ICICI Bank Ltd (NSE:ICBK) fell 3.13% or 42.50 points to 1,315.10 at the close. Eternal Ltd (NSE:ETEA) declined 2.89% or 6.94 points to 233.20, and Shriram Finance Ltd. (NSE:SHMF) was down 2.77% or 28.80 points to 1,010.70.
Sensex movers
On the BSE Sensex 30, Reliance Industries Ltd (BO:RELI) rose 1.32% to 1,408.10, NTPC Ltd (BO:NTPC) gained 0.83% to settle at 381.30, and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (BO:SUN) added 0.68% to close at 1,795.00. Lagging the index were ICICI Bank Ltd (BO:ICBK), down 3.19% to 1,316.05, Eternal Ltd (BO:ETEA), which lost 2.91% to 233.30, and State Bank Of India (BO:SBI), which fell 2.68% to 1,140.00 at the close.
Market breadth and records
Decliners outnumbered advancers across both primary exchanges. On the National Stock Exchange, 1,475 stocks fell while 1,028 advanced and 49 finished unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,143 stocks declined, 1,811 advanced and 171 were unchanged. Separately, shares of Bharat Electronics Ltd (NSE:BAJE) rose to an all-time high, closing up 2.09% or 9.60 at 469.60.
Volatility, commodities and currencies
The India VIX, the implied volatility gauge for Nifty 50 options, rose 11.44% to 19.90. In commodity markets, April Gold Futures increased 0.34% or 17.04 to $5,095.74 a troy ounce. Crude oil for April delivery climbed 3.38% or 2.74 to $83.75 a barrel, while the May Brent contract rose 1.77% or 1.51 to trade at $86.92 a barrel.
In currency markets, USD/INR was up 0.08% to 91.83 and EUR/INR fell 0.34% to 106.19. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.09% at 99.22.
Context and takeaways
Friday's session closed with broad selling across key domestic sectors, notably banking, real estate and autos, which drove major benchmark declines. At the same time, measures of volatility and international commodity prices moved higher, while the rupee saw modest movement versus major currencies. These developments were reflected in the negative breadth readings on both Indian exchanges.