Market Overview
India’s equity markets closed lower on Friday, with the Nifty 50 slipping 0.34% to a new three‑month low and the BSE Sensex 30 declining 0.16% at the close.
Index Performance
The Nifty 50’s 0.34% drop was accompanied by a broader market weakness: on the NSE, 1,540 stocks fell versus 1,046 that advanced, with 51 unchanged. On the BSE, 2,303 stocks declined, 1,740 rose and 192 were unchanged.
Sector Performance
Losses were led by the Real Estate, Metals and Oil & Gas sectors. Within metals, Hindalco Industries fell 2.81% (28.50 points) to 985.50, JSW Steel dropped 2.66% (34.70 points) to 1,269.30 and Tata Steel declined 2.25% (4.20 points) to 182.58 on the NSE.
Top Gainers
The biggest Nifty 50 gainers were:
- Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd – up 2.62% (30.00 points) to 1,173.00.
- HDFC Bank Ltd – up 2.12% (14.70 points) to 708.50.
- Tech Mahindra Ltd – up 0.86% (13.10 points) to 1,538.90.
On the BSE, HDFC Bank rose 2.02% to 708.00, Tech Mahindra gained 1.38% to 1,539.50, and HCL Technologies added 0.85% to close at 1,207.00.
Notable Losers
Besides the metal stocks, other significant decliners included:
- IndusInd Bank Ltd (BSE) – down 1.73% to 977.80.
- Tata Steel Ltd (BSE) – down 1.67% to 182.85.
- Reliance Industries Ltd – fell 1.33% (17.00 points) to 1,258.00, reaching a 52‑week low.
Volatility Index
The India VIX, measuring implied volatility of Nifty 50 options, rose 3.77% to 12.24, marking a new one‑month high.
Commodity Prices
- Gold Futures (December) fell 0.38% (16.70 points) to $4,390.60 per troy ounce.
- Crude Oil (October delivery) dropped 3.37% (3.45 dollars) to $99.03 per barrel.
- Brent Oil (November contract) slipped 3.79% (4.08 dollars) to $103.55 per barrel.
Foreign Exchange
The USD/INR pair weakened 0.11% to 95.58, while EUR/INR fell 0.06% to 110.77. The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.12% to 99.17.