Sensex Ends 169 pts Lower; Nifty Below 21,450; IRCTC Jumps 12% – News18

Benchmark indices settled near the day’s low level as investors booked profit after seven straight weekly gains.

The S&P BSE Sensex closed at 71,315 levels, down 169 points or 0.24 per cent, while the Nifty50 ended at 21,419, down 38 points or 0.18 per cent.

Power Grid, ICICI Bank, JSW Steel, ITC, Infosys, M&M, Axis Bank, Tech M, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, and Ultratech Cement weighed on the frontline indices as they fell up to 2 per cent.

In the broader markets, however, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices shut shop in the positive territory, rising 0.28 per cent and 0.48 per cent, respectively.

Among sectors, the Nifty Media and Pharma indices gained 1 per cent each, while the Nifty Realty index fell by the same percentage.

Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, said: “The market started on a subdued note as concerns over oil supply disruptions through the Red Sea and elevated valuations dented investor sentiment. On the global front, attention will be directed towards BoJ monetary policy and UK inflation data. We expect a near-term consolidation in the market due to an unfavourable risk reward after the recent rapid performance, concerns over El Nino, and a slowdown in world GDP.”

Global Cues

Meanwhile, in Asia this morning, Japan’s Nikkei was down over 1 per cent a day ahead of Bank of Japan’s monetary policy decision. Hang Seng too was down nearly 1 per cent, while Shanghai and Kospi slipped around 0.5 per cent each.