D-Street Under Pressure: Sensex Plunges 721 Points, Nifty Ends Below 24,850

In the previous trading session on Thursday, the Indian stock market ended lower, wiping out gains from the prior day amid weak global cues and broad-based profit booking

The Indian stock market extended its losing streak on Friday, with both benchmark indices closing sharply lower amid continued selling pressure and weak global cues. The BSE Sensex dropped 721.08 points, or 0.88 per cent, to close at 81,463.09, while the NSE Nifty fell 225.10 points, or 0.90 per cent, to end at 24,837.00. Persistent profit booking and cautious investor sentiment weighed heavily on the broader market, pushing the indices deeper into the red.

The Nifty logged its fourth consecutive weekly loss, highlighting persistent selling pressure across a broad range of sectors.

Among sectoral indices, Nifty Oil & Gas bore the brunt, declining by 2 per cent. Nifty Metal and PSU Bank followed closely, each slipping 1.7 per cent. The IT index retreated 1.4 per cent, while the Auto index declined by 1.3 per cent. Indices tracking FMCG, Private Banks, and Realty sectors also closed the week down by 1 per cent each.

In contrast, Nifty Pharma bucked the overall trend, emerging as the only gainer with a modest rise of 0.5 per cent amid the widespread market weakness.

Ashika Institutional Equities Noted, "The Indian equity markets witnessed a lackluster session today, commencing on a subdued note at 25,010—also registering the day’s high at the very first tick. Subsequently, the Nifty succumbed to persistent selling pressure, retreating to an intraday low of 24,806. The broader market sentiment remained bearish throughout, with pronounced weakness evident across Media, Energy, Oil & Gas, PSU Bank, Auto, and IT sectors. Pharmaceutical stocks stood out as the sole bright spot, displaying relative resilience amid an otherwise negative landscape. The sustained downward momentum resulted in the Nifty decisively breaching the critical 25,000 support zone, raising concerns about further downside risk."

Previous Trading Session

In the previous trading session on Thursday, the Indian stock market ended lower, wiping out gains from the prior day amid weak global cues and broad-based profit booking. The BSE Sensex declined by 540.42 points, or 0.65 per cent, closing at 82,186.22, while the NSE Nifty slipped 168.80 points, or 0.67 per cent, to settle at 25,051.10. Widespread selling across key sectors dampened investor sentiment, dragging the benchmark indices into negative territory.