Indian equities ended lower on Thursday, with the Nifty 50 index declining 0.48% and the BSE Sensex 30 falling 0.70% as losses in financial, metals and public sector shares offset gains in select blue chips.
The Nifty 50 closed at 24,850.20, while the Sensex ended at 82,150.35, with the India VIX—a gauge of market volatility—rising 5.66% to 11.16. Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones by a margin of nearly 1.6 to 1 on the National Stock Exchange, while the Bombay Stock Exchange saw 2,307 stocks fall against 1,743 that rose.
Financial sector weakness was led by HDFC Bank, which dropped 1.75% to 714.45, marking a fresh 52-week low. The S&P BSE Bankex index fell 1.67% as lenders extended losses. Metals also retreated, with Hindalco Industries down 3.04% to 1,021.00, while the S&P BSE Metals index declined 1.10%. Public sector undertakings slipped 0.87%.
Gainers included Kotak Mahindra Bank, which rose 1.84% to 424.35, and Adani Enterprises, up 1.52% to 3,159.30. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone also advanced 1.33% to 1,714.00. On the Sensex, Kotak Mahindra Bank led with a 1.71% gain, followed by ICICI Bank at 0.93% and Tech Mahindra at 0.80%.
Commodities showed mixed performance, with gold futures for December delivery falling 0.43% to $4,633.11 per troy ounce. Crude oil benchmarks rose modestly, with October WTI up 0.18% to $82.38 per barrel and November Brent gaining 0.44% to $87.32. The U.S. dollar strengthened 0.15% against the Indian rupee, trading at 95.56, while the euro rose 0.06% to 111.27. The U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.06% to 99.15.
