Mumbai, Jan 5 : Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended lower on Monday, dragged by blue-chip HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries and IT stocks amid fresh warning from the US to further raise tariffs against India.
The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 322.39 points or 0.38 per cent to settle at 85,439.62. During the day, it tanked 446.68 points or 0.52 per cent to 85,315.33.
A total of 2,545 stocks declined, while 1,723 advanced and 203 remained unchanged on the BSE.
After hitting a record intra-day high of 26,373.20, the 50-share NSE Nifty failed to carry forward the momentum and declined 78.25 points or 0.30 per cent to end at 26,250.30.
“The benchmark Nifty index scaled a new lifetime high of 26,373.20 during the session; however, profit-taking emerged near the top, dragging the index lower to test the crucial 26,200 support zone by the close.
“Market sentiment remained guarded, with participants staying largely on the sidelines amid escalating geopolitical tensions following the US attack on Venezuela over the weekend,” according to Ashika Institutional Equities.
From the 30-Sensex firms, HDFC Bank, Infosys, HCL Tech, Bajaj Finance, Tata Consultancy Services and Reliance Industries were among the biggest laggards.
In contrast, Bharat Electronics, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Steel and UltraTech Cement were among the gainers.
“Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on Monday after paring early gains, as selling pressure in IT stocks and heightened geopolitical concerns weighed on sentiment,” Gaurav Garg, Research Analyst, Lemonn Markets Desk, said.
The BSE smallcap and midcap indices went up marginally by 0.07 per cent and 0.05 per cent, respectively.
Among sectoral indices, IT declined by 1.37 per cent, oil & gas (1.18 per cent), BSE Focused IT (1.17 per cent), energy (0.95 per cent), telecommunication (0.81 per cent), utilities (0.38 per cent) and financial services (0.25 per cent).
On the other hand, realty jumped 2.16 per cent, consumer durables (1.25 per cent), metal (0.58 per cent), commodities (0.56 per cent), FMCG (0.51 per cent) and PSU bank (0.40 per cent).
Trump, while talking to reporters on Sunday aboard Air Force One en route to Washington from Florida, said, “They (India) wanted to make me happy, basically. Modi is a very good man; he is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly. It would be very bad for them”.
Trump’s remarks came after US Senator Lindsey Graham, accompanying him on Air Force One, said that the tariffs imposed on India by Trump are the “chief reason” New Delhi is now buying substantially less Russian oil.
Graham spoke about his tariff bill that seeks to impose 500 per cent levies on imports from countries buying Russian oil.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 289.80 crore on Friday, according to exchange data. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) also bought stocks worth Rs 677.38 crore.
“President Donald Trump’s renewed remarks on potential tariff hikes against Indian imports linked to India’s continued purchases of Russian oil added a layer of geopolitical caution to global markets, keeping risk appetite in check during today’s session,” Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.
In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi index, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index and Shanghai’s SSE Composite index ended significantly higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index ended marginally up.
Markets in Europe were trading in the green. US markets ended mostly in positive territory on Friday.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, dipped 0.13 per cent to USD 60.67 per barrel.
On Friday, the Sensex climbed 573.41 points or 0.67 per cent to settle at 85,762.01. The Nifty went up by 182 points or 0.70 per cent to 26,328.55. (PTI)
