Indian equity markets ended Tuesday under pressure, with selling broad enough to push benchmark indices to notable losses. The Nifty 50 finished the session down 1.83%, marking a new one-month low, while the BSE Sensex declined 1.92%.
Sector-wise, Real Estate, Consumer Durables and Capital Goods were the primary drags on the market, prompting the wider downturn across both the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange.
On the Nifty 50, the top performers were concentrated in energy and metals. Oil And Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (NSE:ONGC) led gains, advancing 4.68% or 13.15 points to close at 294.15. Hindalco Industries Ltd. (NSE:HALC) added 1.86% or 19.00 points to finish at 1,042.50, and State Bank Of India (NSE:SBI) ticked up 0.26% or 2.50 points to end at 976.10.
By contrast, several large-cap names registered sizable declines. Shriram Finance Ltd. (NSE:SHMF) fell 4.31% or 42.05 points to 933.90. Tech Mahindra Ltd (NSE:TEML) dropped 4.21% or 61.40 points to close at 1,396.00, and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (NSE:APSE) shed 4.10% or 72.50 points to finish at 1,694.80.
The BSE Sensex reflected a similar pattern. NTPC Ltd (BO:NTPC) was among the few gainers, rising 0.34% to 394.20. State Bank Of India (BO:SBI) was up 0.31% to settle at 976.55, and Bharti Airtel Ltd (BO:BRTI) gained 0.19% to close at 1,761.50. On the downside, Tech Mahindra Ltd (BO:TEML) declined 4.40% to 1,393.00, Adani Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd (BO:APSE) lost 4.02% to settle at 1,695.50, and HCL Technologies Ltd (BO:HCLT) dropped 4.01% to 1,147.00 at the close.
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones by a wide margin on both exchanges. On the National Stock Exchange, 2,208 stocks fell against 333 advancers and 26 unchanged issues. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 3,175 declined, 842 advanced and 121 finished unchanged.
HCL Technologies Ltd (BO:HCLT) specifically fell to its 52-week low in the session, slipping 4.01% or 47.95 to close at 1,147.00.
Volatility rose as the India VIX, the gauge of implied volatility for Nifty 50 options, increased 3.79% to 19.25.
Commodity markets posted mixed moves. Gold Futures for June delivery were down 0.43% or 20.28 to $4,708.42 a troy ounce. Crude oil contracts climbed, with June delivery up 3.11% or 3.05 to $101.12 a barrel, while the July Brent contract rose 2.91% or 3.03 to $107.24 a barrel.
In currency markets, USD/INR moved up 0.31% to 95.59, and EUR/INR rose 0.05% to 112.35. The US Dollar Index Futures were higher by 0.31% at 98.13.
Market context summary
The session was characterized by broad selling across cyclical sectors such as Real Estate, Consumer Durables and Capital Goods, while selected energy and metal names showed relative strength. Rising implied volatility and notable moves in oil and the dollar were also features of the trading day.