Indian equities ended lower on Thursday, with the Nifty 50 falling 0.17% to a one-month low as declines in IT, fast-moving consumer goods and healthcare shares weighed on sentiment.
The broader market showed mixed breadth, with advancing stocks outnumbering decliners 1,600 to 997 on the National Stock Exchange, while 48 issues ended unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,368 stocks rose, 1,678 declined and 179 held steady.
The BSE Sensex 30 dropped 0.55%, extending losses from the IT sector. The India VIX, which tracks implied volatility for Nifty 50 options, fell 2.20% to 11.34, reflecting reduced near-term uncertainty.
Among individual movers, IndusInd Bank led gains on both exchanges, rising 2.17% on the NSE to 999.20 and 2.45% on the BSE to 1,001.00. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone added 1.57% to 1,699.00 on the NSE, while Axis Bank gained 1.32% to 1,270.50.
Technology stocks lagged, with Tech Mahindra down 1.65% to 1,596.20, Cipla off 1.62% to 1,389.90 and HCL Technologies shedding 1.37% to 1,313.30. On the BSE Sensex, Titan Company fell 2.17% to 4,960.00, ITC declined 1.63% to 262.15 and Mahindra & Mahindra dropped 1.62% to 3,140.00.
Commodities showed strength, with gold futures up 1.21% to $4,467.95 per troy ounce and Brent crude rising 1.56% to $97.12 a barrel. October WTI crude futures advanced 1.79% to $92.64. The Indian rupee weakened 0.49% against the dollar to 94.51, while the euro fell 0.41% to 109.61.
