Indian equities ended lower on Thursday, with the Nifty 50 declining 0.48% and the BSE Sensex 30 falling 0.70%, as losses in banking, metals and public-sector stocks offset gains in select financial and industrial names.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancers by a margin of roughly 1.6-to-1 on the National Stock Exchange, with 1,599 declines against 989 advances and 43 unchanged. On the Bombay Stock Exchange, 2,307 stocks fell, 1,743 rose and 163 ended flat. The India VIX, which tracks implied volatility for Nifty 50 options, increased 5.66% to 11.16, reflecting elevated short-term uncertainty.
The Nifty 50’s retreat was led by declines in HDFC Bank, which dropped 1.75% to 714.45 and marked a 52-week low, and Mahindra & Mahindra, which fell 1.65% to 3,342.10. Hindalco Industries shed 3.04% to 1,021.00. Gains were concentrated in Kotak Mahindra Bank, which rose 1.84% to 424.35, and Adani Enterprises, which added 1.52% to close at 3,159.30.
On the BSE Sensex 30, HDFC Bank’s decline deepened to 2.08% to 712.00, also marking a 52-week low, while IndusInd Bank fell 3.19% to 970.00. Kotak Mahindra Bank gained 1.71% to 423.30, and ICICI Bank rose 0.93% to 1,444.00. Tech Mahindra added 0.80% to 1,585.60.
Global commodities showed mixed signals, with December gold futures down 0.43% at $4,633.14 per troy ounce and October West Texas Intermediate crude up 0.24% at $82.43 per barrel. The November Brent contract rose 0.47% to $87.35 per barrel. The U.S. dollar strengthened 0.15% against the Indian rupee to 95.56, while the euro gained 0.06% to 111.27.
