Indian equity markets extended their losing streak to a fifth session on Thursday, with both Sensex and Nifty ending lower. Investor sentiment remained cautious amid persistent foreign fund outflows and worries over higher H-1B visa fees.
The Sensex fell 555.95 points, or 0.68%, closing at 81,159.68, marking a five-day drop of nearly 1,854 points. The Nifty50 slipped 166.05 points, or 0.66%, ending at 24,890.85, down 2% over the past week.
Trent led the Sensex losers, dropping 3.58% to Rs 4,722.15. Other major decliners included Power Grid, Tata Motors, TCS, Asian Paints, and NTPC. Five key stocks – TCS, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finance, and Power Grid – contributed heavily to the overall decline.
Sectoral indices mirrored the trend, with the BSE IT index down 1.10% and the BSE Auto index falling 0.93%. TCS touched a fresh 52-week low of Rs 2,951. Out of 4,319 active BSE stocks, 2,700 ended lower while 1,478 gained.
Vinod Nair of Geojit Investments said profit booking, ongoing FII outflows, and US-India trade uncertainty weighed on markets. He added metals gained on China’s liquidity support and copper supply concerns, but overall sentiment stayed cautious ahead of India’s borrowing plans and upcoming US economic data.
