Friday, July 25, 2025 | Mumbai
Indian equity markets ended deep in the red for a second straight session on Friday, dragged down by persistent foreign fund outflows, weak global cues, and growing concerns over international trade headwinds. Investors stayed risk-averse ahead of key global central bank meetings and geopolitical developments.
The BSE Sensex tumbled 721 points, or 0.90%, to settle at 81,463, while the Nifty 50 slipped 225 points (also 0.90%) to close at 24,837, breaching key support levels in the process.
Broader markets bore the brunt of the sell-off. The BSE MidCap index dropped over 1.5%, and the SmallCap index slid 1.90%, reflecting widespread weakness across the board.
Out of the 30 Sensex constituents, 28 stocks ended in the red. Heavyweights like Bajaj Finance plunged over 4.7%, Power Grid fell 2.61%, and Infosys declined about 2.5%, pulling the benchmark indices lower. On the flip side, Sun Pharma gained 0.50%, and Bharti Airtel eked out a marginal 0.05% rise, emerging as rare gainers in a largely negative session.
Sectorally, the pain was broad-based. 20 of the 21 BSE sectoral indices ended with losses. The biggest drags were Utilities (-2.37%), Power (-2.36%), and Oil & Gas (-2.11%). Only the Healthcare index managed a slim gain of 0.20%, driven by defensive buying.
Market breadth was decisively negative. At the BSE, 2,893 stocks declined, while only 1,116 advanced and 145 remained unchanged. On the NSE, 42 stocks hit 52-week highs, whereas 36 touched their 52-week lows, indicating heightened volatility and sectoral churn.
With foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continuing to pare holdings and global markets offering no clear direction, analysts expect near-term caution to prevail. All eyes are now on upcoming U.S. Federal Reserve comments and trade policy signals from major economies.